The Things We Share
by Sini
Summary: MeLty Mac and Lindsay and the progression of their relationship. Written back in my young fluffy days, needs rewriting, but alas, my interest has waned.
1. And So It Begins

**Title:** The Things We Share

**Summary:** While working on a case Mac and Lindsay notice they have developed a special bond which starts to grow as the weeks go by. Things change between them but hopefully for the better. So what exactly happened?

**Pairings:** Mac & Lindsay

**Status:** In-Progress

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**CHAPTER 1 - And So It Begins**

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It was cold. Very cold. Or maybe it was the wind combined with the ever approaching rain as the dark clouds slowly made their way over Manhattan that created the illusion of it being cold. Lindsay Monroe was on her way to an apartment, not far from the New York City Crime Lab, and as usual this was no social call. Stella and Danny were already on a case of their own so she was kind of expecting to be called to a scene pretty soon. She didn't really know what to expect but it was probably going to be ugly. Death always was, she quickly reasoned, dumbfounded by her own 'clichéish' thoughts. Detective Mac Taylor had called her mere minutes ago and told her to come to the scene as quickly as possible. He had not said much else, but then again why explain something over the phone when she'd be there 15 minutes later. _'Mac Taylor'_, she thought. He never really said anything that wasn't relevant and she liked that about him. She had developed a deep liking to the man. They had befriended rather quickly after she had joined his team. She had been, and still was, impressed by how he never treated her like a complete rookie, patronizing her every chance he got. No, he treated her like an equal, most of the time that was. Of course she had a lot to learn but she liked to think she was pretty good; she had after all been doing this for years already. As her thoughts continued to trail from one thought to another, mostly concerning her and Mac's relationship, she spotted Hawkes hovering about the building where the crime had taken place and her thoughts quickly came to a halt. He was looking for any possible clues or evidence and she started focusing on the case.

"Hey! What's the deal?" she asked him while crossing the narrow road and walking beside him.

Hawkes turned around acknowledging her presence. "Hi. The landlord found one of his tenants dead while letting a plumber to fix a leak. Mac's waiting for ya in the apartment. He could probably use some help up there," he said pointing upstairs. "It's the third floor."

Lindsay looked up and started walking to the front door. "You going to stay here?" she asked.

"Yeah, gotta make sure nothing's left outside. Looks like we'll have rain soon," Hawkes said as he looked up to the sky. "Shouldn't take long though. There's not much to see... We've been here for some time and haven't found anything. Looks like whatever happened didn't leave any signs outside."

"OK," Lindsay quipped and made her way up the three stories, passing a few policemen in the stairway.

After taking a quick right she spotted the open door and the police tape in its vicinity. She walked in and saw the victim. He was a man, in his forties and he was half sitting, half lying on an armchair next to a couch, hence diagonally facing the TV. She took in his appearance – blood had dripped from his mouth and it covered his chin and some of it had reached his lap, the cause was rather evident as there was a knife stuck at the back of his neck. She was now studying his upper back more closely, her eyes fixated on the shirt that was between the handle of the knife and the blade deep inside of him. As she was putting on a pair of latex gloves she noted there were two other stabbing wounds close to the on with the knife still in it. Just as she noticed that she hadn't seen Mac anywhere, only some officers, she saw him come out of the bathroom.

"Hi," she said, straightening up. "I was just about to come looking for you. Did you find something?"

Mac nodded his greeting. "There were some bloody stains in the bathroom, seems like someone tried to wash something in a hurry. My guess is it's the murderer... Since this clearly is one. No way he could have stabbed himself multiple times in his upper back."

Lindsay smiled at him. "Now that I would like to have seen..." Mac raised an eyebrow. "Well, not really but..."

"Got it," he said with a slight smirk while taking his equipment kit and finding the necessary items he was planning to use. "You take the bathroom, I'll look at the body until they take him away. Probably a couple of more minutes. When you're finished come help with the living room but it'll probably take pretty long with all the blood and splatters I saw. I'd suspect you'll find prints as well. Something definitely took place in there." Mac said while his eyes shifted between the murder victim and Lindsay. She turned to leave but Mac interrupted her. "Did you happen to see Hawkes?" he asked thoughtfully.

She turned around after putting her kit down at the bathroom door. "Yeah, he was searching for evidence outside. It could start raining any minute now. He hadn't found anything yet, suspected that whatever took place in here didn't leave any traces outside." Lindsay continued on to taking her coat off as it was clear it would only be in the way in the confined space of the small bathroom.

"Alright," he said just as his phone rang. "Taylor." he answered. By the sound of the conversation Lindsay figured it was Hawkes calling from downstairs. Her suspicions were quickly confirmed as Mac asked for Hawkes to come help him after he was done. Lindsay moved into the bathroom and started to work. Soon she heard Mac ending his conversation with Hawkes and everything went very silent.

They worked in silence, only occasionally exchanging a few comments and informing each other about their newest findings. The body was taken to the morgue while they continued their hunt for clues. Hawkes joined Mac and they started dusting the living room for prints. The living room wasn't very big, in fact the entire apartment consisted of a tiny bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and the living room. After a while Mac asked for Hawkes to go and take a look at the bedroom and the kitchen.

Mac could here Lindsay muttering something about being 'too damn short reach the fricking top shelf' and saw her reach for a stool just outside the bathroom door. "Can I step on this or do you need to preserve this as it is?" she asked with some annoyance in her voice.

"Go ahead, found nothing on it," He looked at her almost asking whether she needed help but thinking it might be better to just keep his mouth shut. "You almost done?"

Lindsay picked up the stool. "Almost, I'm going over the contents of the cabinet over the sink."

After a few minutes she returned the stool to its original place, disappearing back into the bathroom. Mac noted that she had that determined look in her eyes she got when she was very focused on something. _'Since when do I note how she looks at something?'_ he thought to himself. He erased the thought from his mind and walked to his kit, moving Lindsay's neatly folded coat onto the stool and off the closed box containing more equipment. He couldn't help but notice how the coat radiated a scent he knew as Lindsay. For the second time in minutes he was astounded by his thoughts and decided this was no lace to contemplate said thoughts.

"I'm done! What's next?" was the next thing Mac heard and looking up from his kneeled position he saw Lindsay looking straight at him with a questioning look.

"Me too!" he heard coming from the other direction and he saw Hawkes walking closer.

"Did you check the kitchen too?" Mac asked him.

Hawkes lifted up his camera. "Didn't really find anything, took some pictures though and bagged a few things just to be sure. The bedroom was clear too."

Mac nodded as Hawkes finished. "I think we're done here, at least for now. Let's wrap things up."

The other two nodded. They packed their things and two officers came to help them carry all of their bags to the car. "I wonder if Flack has found anything out..." Lindsay wondered aloud while she pulled on her jacket.

"Well, we'll know soon enough!" quipped Hawkes as he exited the apartment.

Lindsay grabbed her kit and glanced around once more. Mac saw her do this. "We've got everything we need for now."

Lindsay turned her head and smiled. "Never hurts being careful," she said as she started walking towards the door with Mac. "Right?" she added lightheartedly.

"Right." he said.

"I was being rhetorical," she said not looking at him but he could tell she was smiling.

"I know," he replied giving her a soft quiding nudge as they stepped over the doorstep into the hallway. "I know."

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

So here it is, the first installment of my first CSI fic. Never really been a CSI shipper but I have been converted… I know this is a fairly uncommon ship compared to the others (you now which ones) but thought I'd give it a shot. And I hope there aren't many grammatical errors.So, there is that pretty little review button that'll let you tell me whether I should stop now or continue with more chapters. Constructive criticism is always welcome so just let me know if you have anything to say. :)


	2. Of Processing, Sid and Phone Calls

Hi again! I'd like to thank all you wonderful people who read the first chapter and especially those who reviewed and asked for more! Well here it is, the second installment and I hope you like it!

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**CHAPTER 2 – Of Processing, Sid and Phone Calls**

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Little drops of rain were falling down from the sky as the CSIs left the scene of crime. The air around them felt even cooler than before. Hawkes was rubbing his hands together, desperately trying to warm them up and Lindsay too was shuddering a bit. Mac didn't look to comfortable himself. As soon as they had put their things in the back of the car they climbed in and left for the station.

Hawkes shifted his position in the back seat. "So did we actually find anything that indicates who did this?"

"The bathroom had fresh blood stains, someone must've cleaned themselves before leaving the apartment. We should have it analysed soon," Lindsay offered.

"The vic hadn't bled anywhere else in the living room than the chair and there were no traces of struggle. He didn't know what was going to happen," Mac stated, taking a steep right as they neared their lab.

Hawkes nodded thoughtfully. "That seems reasonable because I found nearly nothing from the kitchen and the bedroom..."

"So it looks like either it was someone who was already in, a friend maybe, since he was unmarried, or someone snuck in. The door was more or less facing the armchair but had he fallen asleep it would have been easy," pondered Lindsay turning on the front seat to look at Hawkes.

"Yeah," was all he said and Lindsay was clearly hoping he would continue their talk. After Hawkes said nothing more she turned back and quickly became aware that they were pulling up to the parking lot.

"OK, head to the lab, I'll check in on our vic and see if Sid has made any progress," Mac said as they got out of the car.

"Whatever you say boss!" quipped Hawkes, emphasizing the word boss, causing Lindsay to smile. She went to stand beside Hawkes as she took her kit out of the car and as Mac rounded the car she couldn't help but turn around and add "Ah, but that's just a part of his job: to go talk with Sid when he has probably just began doing the autopsy so that Sid can tell him to come back later and then he goes back ten minutes later and the same thing happens again. You can probably see the pattern there."

Mac slightly tilted his head and smirked a little at Lindsay's comment as she left to go inside, trying to hide her amusement and failing miserably. Hawkes was grinning as he took one more case of equipment out of the back of the car. "Man, you'd better watch out for her, the woman has no fear..." he chuckled and with a quick pace left so he could still catch up with Lindsay.

"Don't I know it," Mac added mumbling to himself as he locked up the car.

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Mac was on his way to his office, he had just been at the morgue and as Lindsay had predicted Sid was only starting the autopsy. He had told Mac about a few of his early observations but not much. Now Mac was more interested in hearing what Flack had found out. He closed the door and sat down in his chair, tossing some papers on the desk. Just as he was about to dial Flack's number he heard a knock on the door and Flack stepped in.

"Found out a couple of things, thought I'd stop in and let you know," Flack said while stepping next to Mac's desk.

"What is it?" Mac asked, gesturing for Flack to take a seat. "Did you talk to the neighbours?"

Flack sat down and flipped through some papers. "Yeah, it looks like no one heard anything; no screaming, no cries for help but one of them saw a woman leave his apartment at 7:30 am today. The older lady who saw her was on her way back to her apartment after walking her dog."

"She could very well be the killer because Sid just confirmed time of death at around six or seven this morning," Mac stood up and walked around his table. "Lindsay did an inventory of all the things in the bathroom. Maybe there's something connecting the female to the victim."

They left the office and half way to the lab Flack received a call and he had to leave. He said he'd be back later. Mac walked into the lab Lindsay was working in and greeted her.

"Where's the inventory containing the items in the bathroom?" he asked as he glanced over the large table trying to spot it.

Lindsay stood up and from the far right corner got a pile of paper. "It's here. Anything particular you're looking for?"

Mac accepted the papers and flipped the first paper on the table. "An older lady saw a woman leave the vic's apartment around 7:30 am. Sid confirmed TOD to be between six am and seven pm. I'd assume the woman spent the night because of her early departure time."

"So you're looking to see if any of her stuff was in the bathroom..." she thought about the items she had found. "There were some long strands of hair and a half used bottle of shampoo which seemed to belong to a female, at least according to the label."

Mac looked at her and she could see the wheels turning inside his head. "I was just about to start working on the hairs," she informed him.

"Good, because from now on she's the person we want to talk to. Flack didn't get a name yet," he flipped through a few more pages before he started working on the things spread across the table.

Lindsay noted that he stayed. "So, you're going to help me?"

Mac lifted up his head. "I was planning on it. We don't have much else to go on. Sid didn't have anything yet..."

Lindsay's mouth curved into a smile. "So he kicked you out."

Mac couldn't help but grin a little. "Yeah... He said he'd call me up when he was ready." She chuckled.

"I was _so_ right..." she declared as she prepared a single strand of hair.

Mac continued look at the items, not saying a thing but his thoughts were occupied by the woman on the other side of the table. _'She is something else,'_ he thought. He mentally shook himself and concentrated on the evidence. Meanwhile Lindsay was contemplating how easily she could get away from making her comment and was pleasantly surprised by his reaction. _'Note to self: Come up with more fine-lined comments,' _she figured and steered her thoughts back to the case at hand.

Once again they worked in almost complete silence. It came easy for them. Minutes turned into hours and the evidence bags shifted sides from the right, unanalysed side, to the left, analysed side. Hawkes dropped in to get the hair and got it analysed for DNA. Flack had also come by and told them about the few little things he had found out. It was nothing major but would probably come in handy in the near future. The day had turned into night and as Hawkes came in to drop off the DNA report and go home.

The DNA was that of a Lila Hodgkins. She had a couple of parking tickets, the victim of a robbery but nothing else. Mac had called to a grumpy, just-fell-sleep Flack that they got a name. The police started to track her immediately.

It was around midnight as Mac returned to the lab not expecting to find anyone. He was a little shocked and also proud to find Lindsay there. He stood in the doorway for a little while and took in her appearance. She looked incredibly tired and also a little sad. Then Mac noticed that she wasn't really paying attention to the evidence but thinking deeply about something else. Her hair was slipping from behind her ears and falling in front of her eyes and subconsciously she tugged it back. She looked incredibly pretty even in her current state, the image only shattered by the fact that he could tell something wasn't alright. He closed in the distance and stopped to stand beside her sitting form.

"Is everything OK?" he asked softly, his eyes registering her every move.

Lindsay knew he was standing at the door of the lab. She could see a faint figure in the far left corner from where she sat but before she even shift her eyes to try and look in his direction, she knew he was there. She always noted his presence. Lindsay collected al her willpower and collected her thoughts which had almost broken her into tears. At the moment she wished she hadn't picked up the phone when it had rang about 15 minutes earlier. Quickly she wiped her slightly watery eyes. She felt Mac come next to her and ask her if she was OK.

"Uhm, yeah. I'm... I was just going to take another look at the bottle of shampoo..."

She was just about to get up when Mac stopped her, putting his hand on her arm. "Want to talk about it?" he gently asked.

She didn't dare look at him, afraid of breaking into tears. "Uh, no. Not really. No."

"Then go home," Lindsay looked at him now and nodded. "Do you need a ride?"

"No, but thanks," she managed a small smile. "It's only about a ten minute walk."

Mac was ready to object. "Wait a minute. It's midnight in Manhattan, you're not walking home alone. I'll give you a ride. Besides, you don't live far from my apartment, it'll be on the way," he tried negotiating.

Lindsay hesitated for a while but soon gave in. "OK, but you have to promise you'll go home and get some rest as well."

Mac looked at her and weighed his options. She had a point, he admitted.

Ten minutes later the two were sitting in a car. The ride was made in silence and he didn't try to push her to tell him what was wrong. When he dropped her off she said her thanks and gave him a grateful look. It warmed his heart – not that he would admit it to anyone, any time soon at least. He just hoped she'd feel better tomorrow.

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That's it for chapter 2. I'm no CSI so apologies for any errors in that department.

And as you might have been told hundreds of times before – reviews are greatly appreciated. :)


	3. Of Lila, Memories and Dumpsters

Thanks for all the reviews! You sure know how to make a girl feel appreciated!

A few comments on the reviews – you can always skip them and get to the story much quicker :)

**dark rolling sea **– Thank you for your comments and I did find a few things I already corrected. I'll try rereading tomorrow and getting even the last ones out.

**chili-peppers** – Thanks a bunch! Great that you like what's coming out of my head, hehe. (Trust me, it's pretty messy up here)

**tylerhiltongrupie53** – You're too kind but thank you so much! And I did stop reading the reviews and writing! Hehe.

**danielle** – I totally agree with you on the new/old thing. Thank you!

**Adamsgirl** – Thanks! I did try not to stray too far from their usual characters.

**MeredithandDerekfanforever **– Thanks! Nothing bad with being a multi-shipper...

**One more thing – I don't have a beta reader at the moment so if you feel like you'd be interested then by all means pm me :)**

Sorry for the long babble, now on with the show!

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**CHAPTER 3 – Of Lila, Memories and Dumpsters**

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_Beep_

_Beep, beep_

_Beep, beep, beep_

'_What the heck...?' _thought Lindsay as she awoke to the annoying beep that appeared to originate from her bright red alarm clock. She groggily looked at the time: 5:30 am. Slowly her brain started registering things and she remembered she had only gotten to bed around one am. She started to climb out of her bed. _'Then why is it set to so... early.'_ she paused to think. _'Right, I forgot to change it... Figures.' _She was feeling surprisingly vivid by now and knew she couldn't get back to sleep. Proceeding to her usual morning functions she set her mind to returning to work as soon as possible. She would contemplate her feelings about the phone call after this case was solved. Nevertheless, she did make a mental note to call her family later that day.

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Mac's phone rang a little past six in the morning. It soon became clear to him that it was Flack calling to inform him that they had found Lila Hodgins and were bringing her in for questioning.

"I'll be there in half an hour," Mac said.

"I'm sure you will, just try not to run anyone over," Flack replied, making fun of his almost incomprehensible state. Mac merely hung up.

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As he had promised, at 6:30 Mac found himself walking along the corridor that would eventually get him to the interrogation room where Lila was held in.

Flack and Mac were both asking questions and getting very short, blunt answers. Lila's behaviour and statements led them to believe that she most probably had something to do with the murder. She did admit to having some sort of a relationship with the man in question and she also told them that it was probably the reason they might find her prints, her hair and other DNA around the apartment – even the knife. But there lied one of their problems because the knife had no prints and since it had still been firmly in the victim's flesh when they had arrived it was unlikely someone had wiped it after the stabbing. The murderer had most likely worn gloves but none had been found yet.

Also it seemed the murder victim, also known as Alan Cooper to the world outside the lab, didn't have a lot of acquaintances able to help in the investigation. He had no family, the neighbours never talked with him because he wasn't very forward. The only person they were able to link with him was Lila. Alan had been unemployed for years, living off his savings which were quite large. He had either inherited a little fortune, won in the lottery or invested really skilfully. It looked as if he had all the necessary things needed for becoming a total stranger.

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Danny was on his way to get more coffee. He was armed with two cups but the other one was for Stella. They had their hands full with a murder concerning teenage kids beating up a fellow school mate. He saw Lindsay and decided to say hi.

"Montana!" he yelled, causing Lindsay to jump.

"Hey Danny. How's you're case?"

Danny sat on a chair next to her. "Still have a lot of ground to cover. Yours?"

"Same here. We're making slow progress I suppose." She rose from her seat to reach a new evidence bag.

"You haven't been here all night, have you?" Danny said, a little concerned she had spent her night here without any sleep.

"No, just decided to get an early start. What about you and Stella?" she asked while looking at him with demanding eyes.

Danny shifted a little under her intense look. "Nah, just fetching morning coffee," he tried and offered a little smile. "Speaking of which... I need to actually get it. Plus, Stella is waiting on her cup and I wouldn't want to keep her waiting. Talk about being scary!" Lindsay laughed at Danny's remark as he left the room. "See ya later, Montana!"

Lindsay was about to protest the nickname but he was already too far gone. "Yeah... Later," she mumbled to no one particular.

Moments later she glanced at her watch and it read 8:07 am. Soon the lab would come to life as most of the workers would show up. She kind of liked these quiet moments when everything was still and there was plenty of room to think – think about the case as well as her life. Her thoughts trailed back to last night, how she had been sitting in the lab exactly like she was now and how her father had called her about the bad news. She knew she should be there for her mother and the rest of her family but there were a whole lot of miles separating them and Lindsay knew this was what her mother would want her to do. She would want her to continue living her life and her dream. Bits of memories started surfacing and flashes of her family were eventually turned into flashes of Mac which stunned her for a moment. He had been the one to be there last night and in the true meaning of being there. He hadn't tried to pry for information nor push her to talk. He had put his hand on her arm and she had felt a little better at instant. It halt felt really nice and she found herself smiling at the memory. _'Maybe there is something more – ' _Her thoughts were interrupted as Hawkes and Mac walked in.

"What's so amusing?" asked Hawkes as he yawned and took a seat.

"Morning," Mac greeted as he eyed Lindsay to get some clue if she had recovered from her obvious shock of... something. He still didn't know what had gotten her so upset but to his satisfaction she seemed to be in a good mood and even smiling. That was good and he felt better than a minute ago.

"Good morning to you too," she answered, a little smile tugging the corners of her mouth. "Have you been here long enough to know something I don't?" she queried.

"That depends on how long you've been here and what you've found out," Hawkes said while running his hands over his face.

"I've found a few more prints but they belonged to our vic... I seem to have hit a dead end."

Mac nodded in acknowledgement. "I spent the last 90 minutes questioning Lila Hodgins with Flack... She only admitted to having spent some nights with the vic, nothing else. Although her answers or more like lack there of would suggest she had something to do with this. She's hiding something that's for certain." There was a moment of silence.

"So let's get back to work!" announced Hawkes who was getting more awake by the minute.

"We need to find the gloves..." Lindsay pondered out loud.

Mac stared at nothing, obviously forming some sort of a plan. "We couldn't get a warrant but we could go and check out her trash can..."

"Of course! You want us to go or...?" asked Lindsay already getting up and then hesitating.

Mac looked at her and no way was he saying no to her eagerness. "You come with me and Hawkes, you go ask if Sid has any news. Then come back to the lab. OK?" After giving out his orders he also knew that they were partly selfish reasons. He would have to settle these odd feelings because they were getting the best of him.

"Great! Let's go already!" shouted Lindsay on her way out of the lab.

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This was a little shorter than the other two chapters but don't worry, update will come soon. :)

Sorry to keep you in the blue but it'll all get clearer – eventually. Stay tuned! Hope you liked it...


	4. Of Pain, Composure and Progress

A gigantic thank you to my wonderful beta, **dark rolling sea**!

OK, no boring babble this time. So read on! This one's a bit more emotional. :)

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**CHAPTER 4 – Of Pain, Composure and Progress**

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Mac and Lindsay were on their way to Lila Hodgins' house. The rain that had subsided for the night was back but it was only drizzling. The wipers turned on the wind screen every now and then clearing the view as the drops continued to fall. Lindsay was staring straight forward and Mac glanced at her every now and then, wondering what was going through her mind. The ringing of Lindsay's cell phone shattered the comfortable silence of the car. Shuddering, she dug it out of her bag, glancing at the ID screen as she did. Upon seeing the number, a slew of emotions floated across her face, as Mac watched her closely. She slowly lifted the phone to her ear.

"Hi mom," she said, trying to sound cheery. "Yeah, dad called yesterday," she said frowning. Mac was listening intently, maybe a little too intently he thought. He had a pretty good idea it was after the call from her dad that she had been so torn.

Lindsay shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I was going to call you later today, but you beat me to it. Yes mom, I'm good, but how are _you_ doing?" After a while she only responded with short, easy 'aha' and 'OK'.

Lindsay's face looked more sad and distressed every time she let out a sound. Something was up and it was killing Mac because there was nothing he could do. There was no use asking her about it – Lindsay would talk to him if she wanted to.

Lindsay felt a little embarrassed having the phone conversation in the car in front of Mac. She quickly decided it wasn't something to worry about, more important things were at hand. "I'm so sorry mom... I – I wish there was something I could do. I'll come visit really soon. Are you going home or will you stay there?" she half whispered and wiped her cheek with her free hand as a single tear escaped her eye. "OK, I have to go. Give dad and the others my best and take care." There was a small pause and she sniffled. "I love you mom. Bye."

Lindsay stared at her phone for a while, before putting it away and as she lifted her head, her eyes caught those of Mac. She ran her hands over her face once more and looked back at him.

"We're here," he said pointing at a house across the street. "Do you need a minute? 'Cause I can go and get started by myself." He was waiting for an answer but when none came he reached for the door handle.

"No! Stay," Lindsay exclaimed. Mac was taken by surprise as Lindsay uttered those two words and grabbed his sleeve. "I owe you an explanation," Lindsay noticed Mac was about to protest and she tightened her grip and quickly continued. "No, I do. You don't just break down in front of someone and not say anything about it!" She took a deep breath to try and calm down. "That was my mom. She eh – she was calling to see if I was ok, when in reality it should be me calling her. She's ill. She – she has cancer."

Lindsay was still holding on to Mac's sleeve and he slowly took hold of her hand as he felt the sleeve tighten around his arm. He could see the pain wash over her face.

"They tried a new treatment but it didn't work and now she's practically living in the hospital... it's so wrong!" she explained and broke into tears. She wasn't quite sobbing, but the tears just fell down her cheeks. She was just about to turn away and try and hide her emotional state, but Mac didn't let go of her hand. Instead he pulled her into him and held her tight. At first she was startled but not once did she flinch. She pressed her head against him and took in his warmth. They stayed like that for quite sometime; half sitting, half hugging.

A couple of minutes passed and the rather inhuman position they were in took its toll. Lindsay had regained her composure and as nice as it was it was time to let go. "Thank you," she whispered and they reluctantly departed.

"You ready to go?" asked Mac, giving her hand one last squeeze.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Lindsay said with a stronger voice and even smiled a little which made Mac's heart pound just a tiny bit faster.

It was still drizzling, but not enough for them to bother to take out umbrellas. The house seemed empty and no one was outside as they crossed the street to the reach the dumpsters. Despite Lindsay's moment of emotional exposure there was no feeling of awkwardness. In fact it was the opposite – Mac and Lindsay were completely at ease around each other. Something was different though. They both felt it but it felt good.

"Will you take the one on the right and I'll take the left one?" asked Mac as they stopped in front of the trash cans.

Lindsay was pulling on her latex gloves. "Oh yeah," she exclaimed and within seconds was digging into it. Mac smirked; never in his life had he seen someone pulling stuff out of a trash can so eagerly.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

It didn't take long before Mac pulled out a suspicious looking plastic bag. He lifted it up and raised his eyebrows. Lindsay looked at the bag. "Only one way to find out..." she said, trying to look through the thin plastic. Mac carefully opened the loose knot keeping the bag closed and peered inside.

"Bloody garments and I think I see the gloves too," Mac extended the opened bag closer to Lindsay so she could have a look. Then he closed it so no extra rain drops would damage what was left of the bloody clothes. Someone had tried to wash them clean but with little success. "I'll call Flack and tell him to get Miss Hodgins back for another round of questioning. They might have to do some investigative work since she doesn't appear to be at home." Lindsay nodded and resumed her digging operation. She doubted she'd find anything more, but obviously she couldn't be completely certain she wouldn't.

Mac pulled his phone out and speed dialled Flack to whom he told what he and Lindsay had discovered. He heard laughter from the other end and could make out Stella bickering with Danny. He wondered why they were all in the same place and then it hit him; it was lunch time. There was a distinctive sound of chewing and he knew Flack was stuffing food into his mouth. "Call me when you find her," There was a muffled sound that he interpreted as 'I will'. "Alright, bye." he replied and with that he hung up. He turned his attention to Lindsay, the trash cans, and all the debris scattered around. "Are we ready to clean up the rest?" he enquired from the woman whose head was half way down the can as she reached for something at the very bottom.

"I think so, nothing here but meaningless junk!" she declared as she rose back up and looked around. "So were good at sorting things out but apparently we have no trouble creating a humongous mess..."

Mac grinned at her. She clearly found the scene around her quite humorous. "From CSIs to cleaning up someone else's trash..." he uttered as he started to clean up the mess.

"And we'd better do it quickly – " stated Lindsay as she felt the drizzling, almost non-existent rain become thicker and heavier. "– or this'll turn really ugly really fast."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

In the end they did manage to escape the rain before they got thoroughly soaked. When they arrived back to the lab, Hawkes was there to greet them. He informed then he had just visited Sid; once again making a quick exit, as the discussion turned somewhat flamboyant. Hawkes now felt he didn't need to know anything more about Sid.

"Did he start telling you about his wilder days?" asked Lindsay with little maliciously.

"Oh yeah... I need to forget everything I heard as soon as possible so I'll tell you the important stuff right now," continued Hawkes. He told Mac and Lindsay that Sid hadn't been able to find much and the little he had found was quickly retold. When he had stopped Mac handed him the evidence bag containing the bloody clothes and gloves from the suspect's trash. "I take it that you're trip was successful then..."

"The bag was crammed inside Lila Hodgins' outside trash can. This should provide more evidence and pointers," added Lindsay while Hawkes was about to turn and leave. They parted ways and Lindsay looked at the direction of the labs and started to take off her jacket.

"No, no... We're gonna get some lunch," stated Mac and Lindsay looked up at him with a questioning look. "Come on," he gestured and Lindsay pulled her coat back on before they walked back outside.

"So, do you think this rain will ever stop?" asked Lindsay, pulling the hood of her jacket over her head. Her expression was clear – she was sick and tired of it raining all the time.

"What's wrong with a little water?" Mac asked turning his face to her. He couldn't help but notice how cute she looked.

"I always thought sunshine was much more enjoyable, but that's just me," she answered.

Just then the rain got heavier. "OK, I admit it," said Mac, looking up into the sky. "You do have a point there..." he chuckled and Lindsay laughed out loud. Walking to their usual lunch spot they both thought, despite the rain and gloom, the day was turning out to be very pleasant after all.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

My friend wondered whether they would actually clean up the trash themselves or get someone else to do it – well in my version they do it all on their own and that's that. Had to throw in one of those cheesy CSI-lines too... Only one way to find out, indeed. Well, I'm off to write the next chapter. :)


	5. Of Sleep, Spaghetti and Sisters

Thank you for all the kind reviews, here's the latest chapter! Thank you **dark rolling sea** for the beta!

Let's get this show on the road…

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**CHAPTER 5 – Of Sleep, Spaghetti and Sisters**

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

It wasn't long before Mac and Lindsay arrived at their destination. The walk had taken about five minutes but because of the rain it seemed to take forever. Mac opened the door, letting Lindsay go in first and she smiled her thanks. Mac saw it as a perfect trade he could easily get used to, since every time he opened a door for her he was rewarded with that same smile. Lindsay peered around for a free table and quickly found one by a window.

"Over there!" she exclaimed and started making her way to it with Mac on her heels.

They removed their coats and sat down. Lindsay thought of picking up the menu but decided against as she already knew it by heart. This was their usual spot, where they ate almost daily. It was a nice place, neither too modern nor antique-like, it was just right. In some ways it reminded her of the place she used to go to back home; the same cosy feeling was present. After a short while, the waitress came to them and they placed their orders. Lindsay exchanged a few extra words with her before she left. Lindsay leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table and bringing her palms to her face as she yawned deeply.

"Didn't sleep well?" asked Mac.

"Actually, I did. Well, until my alarm went off. I forgot to reset it," she muttered from behind her hands. "So did you get some sleep like _you promised_?" she queried, squinting her eyes a little.

"Yes," Mac answered as calm as ever.

Lindsay leaned closer and stared straight into his eyes. "Aha," she replied.

"What? You don't believe me?"

"I haven't decided yet," she said thoughtfully.

Mac raised his eyebrows. "You haven't decided yet?" he said leaning forward and continued, "Well, I did. For five hours."

Now it was Lindsay's turn to look surprised. "And you think that's enough?" she asked demandingly.

"There was no talk of how long I was supposed to rest," claimed Mac. "And you're one to talk…"

Lindsay was about to protest, but just then their food arrived. "Thanks," they both said and as the waitress was turning away Lindsay spotted her smirking subtly. She grabbed her plate and drew it a little closer. "Fine, I'll rest my case," she said taking a bite. "For now,"

Mac chuckled and took a sip from his glass. It didn't take long before his attention was drawn to Lindsay's plate and more specifically to what she was doing. She was picking up peaces of red pepper and moving them to the far side of her plate. She happened to look up and noticed that Mac was watching her with amusement.

"I didn't remember this had red peppers, I don't like them," she stated and continued the picking process. Slowly Mac turned his attention back to his own food.

"So, do you think Lila's the killer?" Lindsay asked, stuffing a bite of the now red pepper-free meal in her mouth.

"The evidence sure points at her, but I think we'll know when we get the results on the blood. Why do you ask?"

"No reason, just curious," she said casually.

"So you do have a reason," he said and reached for the salt. She beat him to it – a comeback of a kind – and sprinkled some on her spaghetti dish.

"Nothing wrong with that now is there?" she inquired and grinned a little. Mac gestured for her to give him the salt and she did.

They ate in silence for a while, glancing at each other every so often. Mac looked outside and fell deeper into his thoughts. He loved these kinds of moments when everything felt pretty good: the case was starting to wrap up, or so he believed, and he had gotten some sleep, thanks to Lindsay. She was a very inspiring reason to feel good. No one had made him feel the way she did, not since Claire. Yet it wasn't quite the same and he knew it. He had sorted out his feelings about Claire and her death and tried making peace with it. He knew he was getting there and all he needed was that one final nudge. He had an idea what, or more like who, it would be.

Lindsay was staring at a painting that was right in front of her eyes if she looked a little past Mac. She wasn't noting anything about it, it was just her focal point while she reminisced about all the things that had taken place that day and it was only lunch time! A little late lunch granted but still. She was feeling rather good all things considered – just a minute ago she was having great fun. Her eyes shifted slightly to Mac, who was staring out the window thinking about something, and she thought how much of her current state of mind was simply him being there for her. She had been there for him too a couple of times. He hadn't exactly cried on her shoulder, but they had talked and on some level he had confided in her. That was probably why they were now so comfortable around each other; an unspoken honesty lay between them and it had become more profound today as she had told him about her mother. Maybe there was more to it than sheer friendship.

Both Mac and Lindsay were drawn back into reality when a phone rang. Surprisingly it was not that of Mac or Lindsay. They were both done with their lunches and Lindsay drank the rest of her water.

"Are we ready to head back?" Mac asked.

Lindsay wiped her hands with the napkin and eyed the table. "I suppose. Let's get going, I'll go pay the bill!" she exclaimed and stood up grabbing her jacket.

"I can –" Mac was quickly cut off.

Lindsay turned around and dug her wallet out of her bag. "You paid the last time, it's my turn," she said, stressing her point, before walking over to the register.

They met at the door and started their way back to the lab. Who knew, maybe Hawkes had already found out something new. The rain was more light and faint than it had been half an hour ago making it very pleasant. It didn't even bother much. A comfortable silence ensued, something that both noticed was happening more and more. The walk back seemed to take less time than the initial one, and soon they found themselves walking along the corridors of the lab.

"You go find Hawkes and help him. I have a few things I need to take care of," Mac said to Lindsay who kept on walking as Mac entered his office.

She passed Stella in the hallway and they talked for a while, exchanging facts about the cases they were currently working on and mentioning a few unrelated topics.

"Do you know if Mac's in his office? I need to run a few things by him," Stella said, slightly waving a stack of papers in her hand.

"He just went there and I doubt he has had the time to escape," smirked Lindsay.

Stella smiled at her. "I've been meaning to talk to him all day but he has never been in. So you were digging dumpsters in the rain?" Lindsay nodded. "Is this a glamorous job or what?" Stella retorted and started to walk on.

Lindsay too left the spot and with a quick pace she strolled to the lab she knew Hawkes would be in. He was standing and looking at a newly printed report.

"Hey!" she hollered.

"You're back. Had a good lunch?" Hawkes asked, turning a page.

"Not bad, not bad. Anything new?" queried Lindsay, changing into a lab coat.

"Oh yeah… There was a whole lotta blood and guess what?" Lindsay looked at him with an awaiting expression. "The blood is not that of Lila Hodgins' – it's her sister's," Lindsay looked at Hawkes with an open mouth and reached for the papers.

"Man, this is turning into a family drama…" she said and skimmed through the page. "I wonder what's going on. Who knows, maybe they're in it together," she pondered.

Hawkes took back the papers as Lindsay handed them to him. "Could be," he replied.

"Could be what?" they heard Mac's voice from the doorway. He was parting ways with Stella.

"The blood in the clothes belongs to the sister of Lila," Hawkes cleared. "Her name is Linda,"

"She's missing as well, I just called Flack and he said they had been to her house and the neighbour said they saw her and her sister leave in a hurry. That was about an hour after she was released," Mac stated as more of the pieces started to fit.

"I also found a hair that belonged to Lila," Hawkes added. "Anyone else getting a feeling the sisters share one big secret?" he asked, shifting his eyes from Mac to Lindsay.

"Now we need to find them," noted Lindsay.

"Flack and the others are close. Or so he told me. If so, they'll get them soon," Mac said, heading for the door. "You keep on analysing, I have to go and make a few phone calls,"

"So which ones are…" Lindsay trailed off, pointing at the insides of the plastic bag which were now scattered around the table.

"Those are yet to be studied," Hawkes said, indicating the said items.

They started to go through the rest of the possible future evidence and the next couple of hours went by fast. Their work was interrupted when Mac knocked on the open door.

"They got 'em!"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

OK, I'm pretty sure it takes a lot longer for the DNA-analysis to be complete but hey, this is all fictional… So please forgive me, heh. This was a little lighter than thelast one – got to have some balance. The next chapter will be up soon so keep on coming back!


	6. Of Confession, Paperwork and Plumbing

Here we go again! Once again, thank you to** dark rolling sea **for all the help!

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

**CHAPTER 6 – Of Confession, Paperwork and Plumbing**

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- **

After Mac had told them the sisters had been caught, it only took about an hour before they were being questioned. Despite the circumstances both seemed very calm. When the police had arrested them they had acted hysterical, but now the initial shock had worn off. Lila and Linda had known their chances to elude were very slim, and it was no surprise that they didn't even put up a fight. Instead of adamantly defending themselves, they simply told the truth of what had happened.

"I- I…" Linda's voice drifted off. "I'm the one responsible for what happened to Alan," she stated with a voice that was a bit stronger. Flack nodded and Mac looked at her intently while Hawkes and Lindsay were standing outside of the room and following the obvious confession from there.

"Me and him, we were intimate. Only he meant more to me than I did to him and I know he had numerous other women. I used to have no problem with that, but this thing we had, it lasted for over a year! I thought he might grow to like me more but no. Don't get me wrong, he was still nice to me, didn't talk down on me until that one morning,"

"And that's when you killed him?" queried Flack as he stepped closer to her.

"Yes," she admitted. "He told me I had to leave because one of his other 'female friends' was coming. He said my time was up. I got out of bed and dressed and so did he, he went to watch TV and I went to the bathroom. I knew there was a pair of rubber gloves in the cabinet and I reached for them. I knew there were unused knives in the kitchen, the bottom drawer, and no one would know if one of them was missing. When I returned to the living room I found him half asleep with the TV on. I switched it off and then… I just couldn't take it, it was too much! I don't know how I could've done it! Gone through with it!" Linda sobbed. "Afterwards I – I went to the bathroom and looking at the mirror noticed all the blood on my clothes. I tried washing it out but it wasn't good enough so I found some other clothes and changed into them, I can't even remember what happened to the knife!" she exclaimed in between the tears. "There was so much blood and I can't believe it was all because of me…"

Lila was telling her side of the story. She hadn't been there when the murder had taken place and was overwhelmed by all the things that had occurred during the last few days. Just a few minutes ago she had witnessed her beloved sister leave the interrogation room in handcuffs and a broken and stressed expression on her face. She knew she had come clean and in a way it was very soothing even though it meant they were both going to jail.

"She knocked frantically on my door and when I opened it… I have never seen her that upset! She told what she had done and I couldn't just hang her out to dry, so I told her to give me the bag with the clothes and the gloves and to go to our grandmother's old house. She left it to us when she died and no one else knew about it, so I figured it'd be safe," she sighed deeply. "It wasn't long after that when I was brought here and after I got off I knew we had to go far away if we wanted to be safe. So I went down to the house and we left with no plan of where to go… And here we are…" she finished and stared at the table in front of her.

"What's going to happen to Lila?" Linda asked when she was being escorted into a holding cell.

"What she did, covering up what you did, is a crime so she's facing prison," Flack said as some other officers took over. Quietly he thought it was too bad that once again jealousy had taken things too far.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Later that day Mac was sitting behind his desk, filling out the paperwork that had piled up. He heard a knock on the door and Lindsay poked her head in.

"Hey, you got a minute?" she asked waiting for an answer.

"Sure, I'll take any excuse to get away from this," he said gesturing at the papers.

"I need a favour," Lindsay closed the door and walked to his desk. Mac got up, still with a couple of forms in his hand. "I need some time off, only a few days…"

"Is this about your…" he asked trailing off and looking straight into her eyes.

Lindsay returned his look and continued. "Yes, I need to go see my mother," she said and turned her gaze at his desk.

"In that case, consider it done. I'm assuming you'd like to leave as soon as possible. Tomorrow?"

"That would be great if it can be arranged. I know it means more paperwork but practise makes perfect," she said trying to lighten the mood.

"If only," Mac retorted.

"So, I'm good to go?" she inquired curiously just to make sure.

"Yeah," he said with a little smirk.

"Good, I promised I'd help Danny. Apparently he has a lot of shredded paper that needs to be assembled…" Lindsay declared, turning on her heels and heading for the door but she turned back. "Thank you, this means a lot to me," she said with a shy smile.

"I know," was all he said and Lindsay left the office.

Mac looked into the direction Lindsay had disappeared. He wished she would come back – he missed her. Then it dawned to him,_ 'I really have to do something about this. And fast,'_ he thought in the privacy of his office. He also knew that the feelings weren't one-sided.

The rest of the afternoon, and the evening passed by without anything remarkable. Danny and Lindsay finished the paper puzzle and Stella was in the lab next door with Hawkes helping her. Mac spent the evening in his office and was happy that most of the paper piles on his desk had decreased to one fairly small stack. He left his office and saw Danny walking towards him with a tired pace.

"Going home?" he asked the tired man.

"Yeah, long shift. I need to get some sleep… But we're getting closer," Mac patted him on the shoulder and told him to get a good night's sleep.

"Hey is Lindsay still in?" he yelled after Danny.

"I think she went to get her stuff from her locker," Danny shouted back.

About thirty seconds later he turned right and almost collided with Lindsay. Lindsay stumbled back and smiled.

"You'd think it'd be safer around this time with less people around," she said glancing at her watch which read 8:03 pm.

"You heading home?" Mac asked her and she nodded.

"Want to walk with me?" Lindsay proposed and was a little surprised when Mac consented.

"I suppose it is time to go home," he claimed. "Let's stop by my office so I can get my coat,"

They walked back the corridor Mac had just paced through, passing a guard on the way. Lindsay rummaged through her purse, trying to find her gloves only to notice the other one wasn't there. She gave up and figured it probably wouldn't be that cold.

"How I always manage to lose one, I don't know," she said to Mac who smirked and opened the door to his office space. He glanced around to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, put on his coat and turned off the light. Lindsay opened the door and he gently put his hand to the small of her back to give her a tiny push. Lindsay felt a shiver travel up her spine and boy did it feel good. She noted that the hand stayed there for quite some time and even after she felt the pressure of the nudge disappear his hand still lingered lightly on her jacket. _'I could easily get used to this…'_ they both thought around the same time.

The rain was nearly non-existent. If faint drizzle existed, this was it. They set off walking very close together, with their hands brushing together every so often. Neither spoke anything for a long time. It was Lindsay who finally broke the silence.

"Promise me you'll call me if you need me here," she said, turning her head to look at Mac.

"I think we'll manage on our own for a couple of days," he replied with a slight grin.

Lindsay contemplated her answer for a few seconds. "Then promise, you'll call me" Mac raised his brow, Lindsay decided to elaborate. "You know, ask how I'm doing, I'll ask what's going on in here, we'll talk about all things trivial and you can remind me how much damn paperwork you have..."

"OK, I can do that," he chuckled as they crossed a street. "Oh and I just remembered that seeing as you said you needed a few days, you have the rest of the week off. I figured four days would do but if something turns up I can extend it."

"Thanks, but I think it'll do just fine. I'm only planning on visiting, not moving back," Lindsay stated.

Soon they were in front of Lindsay's apartment building. As they walked up it appeared the building was under construction as various debris was strew about.

"What are they renovating?" Mac asked ducking to avoid hitting his head.

"The plumbing's busted and there are huge leaks in several apartments, mine included. I have no idea how long it'll take or whether –" Her sentence was cut short when she stumbled into a piece of pipe lying at the bottom of the stone stairs leading to the building. Mac caught her before she hit the ground and hoisted her small form easily back up.

"You OK?" he asked, running his eyes over her.

"Yeah, thanks…" she said, kicking the darn thing out of the way with Mac still holding onto her. His right hand was entwined with her left one and neither one of them was making the slightest attempt to let go. Their eyes met but just then there was a loud crack of thunder and it started raining cats and dogs. They looked up and so accompanied by a final squeeze, they abruptly let go and went inside into the hallway for cover.

They smiled at each other, so much for whatever might have taken place if it weren't for that irksome timing – both of the rain and them. "Well, I'd better get going, I booked the first flight for tomorrow," Lindsay said, hearing the rain outside. "Are you going to be OK in there?" she asked nodding at the direction of the front doors.

"I'm pretty sure I can handle it, I'll see you on Monday," Mac said as he walked past her, his arm brushing against her just a little.

"Goodnight," said Lindsay and started walking up the stairs, thinking how close they had been just a minute ago. There was definitely something there.

"Night," replied Mac, turning around to watch her walk up the stairs. '_So close and yet so far…'_ he thought as he opened the door and stepped into the pouring rain.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Now, I'm on my way to a hiding place because I know you wanted that kiss… I'm mean, I know. So all of you who are mad at me, please feel free to leave your threats under the review section because it would be to dangerous to leave an address… Off I go!


	7. Of Plans, Caring and Airports

Thank you **dark rolling sea**! You can only make me better! (And I'm pretty sure you have)

Here we go again…

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

**CHAPTER 7: Of Plans, Caring and Airports**

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

It was a beautiful night in Montana and Lindsay sat on the porch steps of her parents' house. She stared into the fields that spread before her and smelled the air; it was warm and soothing. For a moment she became aware of the silence and figured everyone else had gone to bed. Relaxing and falling deep into thought, her mind started drifting. She played the last two days in her head from how she had arrived back home to this very moment. Lindsay had been grateful to see her mother's condition had improved and she was now at home. Her sister Anne was there too with her daughter Hannah and of course Lindsay's father was there as well. She'd spent a lot of time helping out, just like before she had left to go and work in New York, and Hannah demanded she got her fair share of time. She smiled at the thought of the little eight year old girl. She couldn't help it, no one could – she is so full of life and excitement. They had played hide and seek just two hours ago, but the game ended quite effectively when Lindsay found Hannah asleep under a desk in the study.

She wondered what she'd be doing if she was back in her little apartment. Or maybe she'd still be at the lab… _'Nah, Mac would've sent me home by now,'_ she reasoned. She hoped he himself wasn't sitting in a lab, peering through a microscope. _'That man needs to learn how to relax and have fun more often than once a week in a jazz club,'_ she continued to debate with herself. She hoped she could be the one to help him and decided she would ask him to do something together. Lindsay thought about it for a moment and came up with baseball. They both like it so it could turn out to be really fun. Or maybe she could just ask him out for coffee after work. She was pleased with her ideas and at least one of them would be put to good use when she got back from her extended weekend. And so, with a tiny smile of anticipation on her lips, she got up and quietly got ready for bed.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Mac was bending over a table, looking for anything out of the ordinary. He wasn't sure how long he had spent doing this, but deep down he knew the answer – for too long. He barely had time to finish the thought when he heard the door open and Stella's voice sounded in the room.

"Hey," she said in a stern voice. "Time to go home!"

"In a minute," he replied. "I'll just finish this…"

Stella placed her hands on her waist in a swift move. "Finish _what_?" she demanded, clearly implying there was nothing to finish. "You've worked for two days straight… Slept in your office for crying out loud!"

"I can take care of myself," he said, turning his attention back to the items on the table.

"No you can't. Someone needs to make sure you eat and sleep… Lindsay's very good at that but she's not here right now so… That's why I'm here!"

Mac looked up when Stella mentioned Lindsay. "I'm fine," was all he could come up with.

"You're so wrong… You know what I've noticed?" she asked. "You don't listen to me or the guys when we tell you something, not very often at least, but you do listen to Lindsay. She always makes sure you're taking care of yourself. You have a soft spot for her and I'm pretty sure she has one for you," she stated, poking him in the arm with a file folder. Mac stared at her with an open mouth. "I'm not saying there's anything weird and funny about it… But I do think you should at least hint her that you appreciate it,"

"Weird and funny?" Mac looked at Stella with a questioning expression.

"Yeah, you know…"

"No, I don't," he continued.

"Well you figure it out while you go home," Stella said, giving him a push.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Lindsay was cooking dinner with her sister and Hannah in a crowded kitchen. The neighbours had come for a visit and Mr and Mrs Johnson were now seated at the table with Lindsay's mom and dad. It was noisy but it was the good kind of noise. She was in the middle of chopping a carrot when her cell phone rang.

"Aunt Linds! You're phone's ringing!" Hannah yelled from her spot on the other side of the kitchen where Lindsay's phone was.

"I heard," she said kindly and wiped her hands on a towel.

"It's a Mac Taylor," stated Hannah.

Lindsay rushed to the phone, picked it up and answered. "Hey!" There was a loud bang and several similar sounds followed. Lindsay turned with the phone on her ear to look at what was happening.

"What is going on in there?" Mac queried after hearing the loud clangs which resumed after a little pause.

"Eh, I'm in the kitchen, wait a second…" Lindsay said, leaving the kitchen and making her way to the study. It should be quiet in there. "OK, this is better. What were you saying?"

"I asked what was happening in there," he repeated, moving a couple of sheets of paper on his desk.

"Oh, making dinner… Seven people in the kitchen already making noise and my niece started banging on the pots and pans," she laughed. "She's as loud as they get but very sweet."

"Sorry for the interruption,"

"No problem. What's up? Do you need me there?" she asked and sat on the chair behind the desk under which Hannah had fallen asleep.

"I think we'll manage."

Lindsay sank deeper into the chair to get more comfortable. "Got a case?"

"Yeah, a woman in her forties with a gunshot wound to the head. It's the husband, we just need to gather enough evidence," Mac alleged, leaning back.

"Sounds like you've been busy," Lindsay established and started fiddling the things on the table, settling on a pen.

"If we're lucky we'll be done tomorrow," Mac added hopefully. "So do you need more vacation days?"

"Nah, things are pretty good, I'm catching a flight back on Sunday and I should be back in New York around 9 pm." Lindsay said, shifting in her seat.

"Good, that's good. How are you holding up?"

"Things are looking up and even the neighbours came for dinner and right now it's all pretty good. One of the good days!" she exclaimed quietly.

"Yeah…" Mac muttered knowingly.

The conversation strayed to happier subjects and they did indeed talk about all things trivial and as it turns out, it was fun. It was easy and comfortable and in no way forced. Mac realized this was one of the best ways to unwind as he listened to Lindsay explain the things that had happened. Mac told her how Sheldon and Danny had gotten into a friendly argument during a car ride and how after 10 minutes of bickering they came to the conclusion that it was Mac's fault. Lindsay laughed at the other end and it was music to Mac's ears. Maybe Stella had a point. He had never thought of it – how he and Lindsay seemed to lean on each other.

The conversation was once again cut short when there was a loud squeal at the door of the study. "I'm assuming that's Hannah," Mac chuckled.

"Yep," Lindsay said, listening to what the girl had to say.

"The dinner's all ready! Mom wants to know whether we should start without you or not," Hannah stated firmly.

Mac heard her and quickly spoke, "Go! I'll talk to you later,"

"Oh, ok," Lindsay replied reluctantly. "Bye then. Take care!"

"Thanks, bye."

Lindsay's hand was grabbed by Hannah who dragged her to the dining room where the dinner was set. She didn't notice that she had a big smile on her face, nor did she see that her sister was eyeing her with a curious look.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Mac was thinking about what Lindsay had said. 'Take care.' He knew it was really nothing, but after what Stella had told him, he ran it over and over in his head, realizing that indeed it meant a lot. He thought of Lindsay and it made him smile and at that very moment he knew he was in for something good.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Lindsay was collecting the cutlery off the dining room table and Anne came to help her. They continued on in silence for a minute, but then Anne couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"What's with the smile?" she demanded.

"What? Can't I smile?" Lindsay asked innocently.

Anne looked intently at Lindsay. "Oh, I know you better than that… So spill it!"

"There's nothing to spill!" Lindsay defended herself.

Anne rounded the table and decided she would keep on trying. "Come on…"

"There's nothing to tell! I'm just feeling good at the moment. That's not a crime, is it?"

"You're too stubborn for your own good…" Anne concluded and grabbed a couple of more plates before going into the kitchen.

Lindsay pondered for a moment. Just when did she start smiling after seeing or hearing about Mac?

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

It was 9:35 pm on Sunday night and Lindsay was making her way through the enormous airport. There were a lot of people, creating a crowded atmosphere, and it was making her a little nervous. She switched her medium sized travel bag to the other shoulder, because it was becoming quite heavy. Looking at the signs above the stream of people she found the way that would take her to the main entrance. Since her flight had arrived at the gate furthest from the front, it was another five minutes of walking before she reached the pickup point. She was hoping to catch a cab right away but new it was only wishful thinking.

She stumbled forward, yelling an angry 'hey' at a man who pretty much elbowed her. Boy, did she hate airports. Soon she reached the doors and as she stepped outside, and all the annoyance and anger quickly faded, as she spotted Mac. A smile appeared on her lips and Mac closed the distance between them.

"You didn't have to do this," she said and Mac offered his hand so she could give her bag to him.

He took her luggage, the little she had, and they started walking towards the car. Mac's hand once again guided her to the right direction, this time resting completely freely but steadily at the small of her back. "I know, but I wanted to."

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

I received interesting feedback on the last chapter and I have to say I was surprised it drew in almost twice as much reviews as the other chapters usually have. So what do you think of this one?


	8. Of Hunger, Pie and Happiness

Hey all! Had a bit of a writer's block there for a couple of days but it seems to be gone now! (Yay!)

Thank you **dark rolling sea** for the beta!

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

**CHAPTER 8 – Of Hunger, Pie and Happiness**

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Mac and Lindsay were walking closely beside each other, partly because of the crowded sidewalk and partly because it was something they both needed. It was amazing what a couple of days apart could do to you. It was satisfying to know the other person next to you actually wanted to be there and the feeling was most certainly mutual. Lindsay squirmed as she tried to stretch without raising or spreading her arms in the tight flow of people.

"Tired?"

"Not really, just a little stiff after all the sitting," Lindsay answered with a sigh.

"How was the flight otherwise?" Mac inquired as they rounded a corner and the atmosphere calmed down significantly with fever people rampaging around.

"Not bad, except for the food… It had a weird taste to it," Lindsay said, making a sour face. "I thought of taking a little snack with me but decided against it… Damn."

"Want to grab something to eat?" Mac asked hopefully.

"Do I! I'd eat practically anything right now…" Lindsay exclaimed and quickened her pace.

"The car is over there," Mac said as he pointed it out. They walked to it and Lindsay climbed in while Mac tossed her bag to the back seat.

The night was beautiful. The rain had subsided a couple of days ago and the sky was fairly clear – at least the part that was visible between the buildings.

"Where do you want to go?" Mac asked, stopping at a traffic light, turning his attention to Lindsay.

She thought about his question for a moment with a faint frown covering her facial features. "The usual place?" she soon offered.

"OK," he said and the light changed.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

They arrived at the familiar place where they had eaten lunch earlier in the week. Opening the door and letting Lindsay go in first, Mac followed her inside. Lindsay was swiftly making her way to what was quickly becoming their regular table. The atmosphere was very light, with only a few people seated around the place, all having light conversation. The waiter came by just as they had sat down and he left a few seconds later after taking the quickly voiced orders. Lindsay started to tap her fingers on the table in anticipation.

"Gosh, I'm so hungry… I guess I was so preoccupied at the airport that I didn't really even notice," she acknowledged. "So by any chance did you plan on picking me up?" Lindsay asked from out of the blue.

"Maybe," Mac answered casually, fully aware of Lindsay's eyes burning on him. He knew she was considering and evaluating his every gesture and word. "Okay, I might have thought about it since you said when you'd be back,"

Lindsay smiled a little at his words. "That's quite a risk you took. What if my flight had been delayed or even cancelled?"

"If it were cancelled, you probably would've called. I know you would've called. On the other hand, if the flight had been delayed, well, I'd have had time to wait,"

"Uh huh," she muttered in response. "Did you have a day off today?"

"Yeah," Mac said running a hand through his hair in obvious frustration. He had been bored and she knew it.

"Workaholic," Lindsay stated with a grin.

"So I didn't have a lot to do… Work is what I do, very well in fact," he defended himself.

Lindsay laughed at his response. "I know that! But I'm just saying that you need to have a little fun, relax and not think about a case. Not even an unresolved one," she said her playful tone changing into a little more serious one.

"I can have fun, I just don't need to very often,"

"I know you can, but you really need to more often," she argued.

Mac raised his brow and smirked. "Well, we'll see about that," He had a feeling he would be having a lot more fun in the future.

After a couple of more minutes their food arrived and the waiter balanced the trays to their table. Lindsay flashed a huge smile once she grabbed her fork and started devouring her late dinner. "This is so good…" she said, verbalizing her current thoughts. Mac was only taking his first bite and was staggered by the speed the woman in front of him was eating: one fourth of her portion was already gone.

"Did they not give you food back in Montana or…?" he asked, unable to hold back a chuckle.

Lindsay looked up from her food and smiled with slight embarrassment. She didn't say anything and continued to eat, only a little slower now that her stomach wasn't completely empty anymore.

"You know, I loved going back to Montana but I missed this," Lindsay said musingly, waving her fork between them.

Mac seemed pleased and smiled. "Glad to know I'm not the only one,"

They looked into each other's eyes for a brief couple of seconds and it was enough to give them both even more hope of the future. They fell into their respective thoughts, both contemplating the situation they were in. Things were progressing, albeit slowly, but the bond between them was growing stronger by the day. Little by little a kind of quota had appeared: there was a certain amount of time they wanted to spend together each day and it was increasing rapidly. The very fact that they were sitting in the diner at the late hour was proof of it.

Lindsay was finishing off her plate and after swallowing the last bite. She was about to stand up, but hesitated before asking Mac, "Do you mind if I get some dessert?"

"No, not at all,"

"Want something?" she continued.

Mac thought about her offer for a while. "Coffee would be good,"

"At this hour?" Lindsay asked with a grin.

"Yeah,"

"OK then, one coffee coming up!" was all she said before she was on her way.

Mac watched her go and smiled. After a long time he could honestly say that he was feeling happy, genuinely happy. He had taken his time, before slowly starting to move on with his life. If it hadn't been for Lindsay he would probably still be keeping his heart in a closed box. After Claire died he was sure he would be betraying her if he even entertained the thought of another woman. That is until Lindsay came into his life and he convinced himself that wasn't the case. Claire would want him to be happy and now he perceived it. This was his second chance and he didn't want to sabotage it in any way.

"Here you go," Lindsay said as she placed a fresh cup of coffee in front of Mac and sat on the other side of the table.

"Thanks," replied Mac and took a sip while Lindsay dug into a piece of pie she had picked for herself.

"Didn't you get anything to drink?" he asked, noting that there was no cup or glass for her.

"I don't need anything," she answered. "It would just weaken the flavour of the pie, which is delicious by the way… Sure you don't want any?"

"I'm good but thanks," he said with a tiny smile, although it was a very hard offer to turn down.

"Oh, come on!" Lindsay persisted, "One bite," she added, taking a little piece on her fork and offering it to Mac. "For what I know, I'm not carrying any infectious disease," Mac had to laugh at the remark and the fork was getting closer all the time. "It's _really_ good," she tried once more, this time prevailing.

The fork was extended to the point where it was only an inch away from his lips and finally he took the bite. "So?" Lindsay asked hopefully.

"Yes, it's very good," Mac affirmed. Lindsay's face lit up in a huge smile after the exchange.

"I told you," she said with a hint of smugness in her voice as she went back to eating the pie by herself.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

They left the diner a few minutes later. The air was more crisp than it had been before and it caused Lindsay to shudder, if only slightly.

"Cold?" Mac asked her.

"Not really, just the transition from inside to outside,"

"Or maybe you do have some disease lurking around," Mac implied as he unlocked the car.

Lindsay snorted ever so softly and climbed in, "Oh, I hope not…"

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Mac dropped Lindsay off at her apartment and she convinced him that she'd be fine walking the short distance on her own. She thanked him and with that they said their goodbyes.

When Lindsay closed her front door she quickly discarded her bag and hurried to the shower. It was pretty late and she knew she had to catch some sleep soon or she'd be a walking zombie the next day.

Lying there under the covers in her bed she thought of the evening. Or maybe she should say night; it was around midnight after all. It had turned out so much better than she could've ever hoped for. The thought that Mac might be waiting for her had never even crossed her mind and she was sure she had blushed a little right after she had spotted him. It was a nice gesture and it warmed her heart immensely. She found herself smiling in the half wake/half asleep state that she was in. She went over the happenings of the evening in her head, but before she could finish she was fast asleep. But who knows, maybe her subconscious would allow for the events to continue replaying whilst she was in her dream filled state.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

OK, that's it for chapter 8. Please tell me what you think :)


	9. Of Sickness, Soup and Fever

A huge thank you goes to **dark rolling sea**. You never let me down!

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

**CHAPTER 9 – Of Sickness, Soup and Fever**

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

It was Monday morning and Lindsay had just arrived at the lab. Hawkes had arrived at the same time and he had filled Lindsay in on what they had been doing during her time away. To sum it up, they were merely gathering more evidence. A man had gotten killed at a construction site and everything seemed to be pointing to a mere accident – a stupid, easily avoidable one at that, but an accident nonetheless. The two spent a few hours looking at photographs, comparing pieces of garments and all sorts of other things but with no avail. Nothing was surfacing and it was pretty certain that they already had enough evidence to prove the death was nothing but an unfortunate mishap. But a certain amount of uncertainty was still lingering in the air.

"Hey, you wanna go get some coffee?" Hawkes asked. "I know it's almost lunch time, but I for one could really use a cup… Or two,"

Lindsay placed the paper she was holding on the table and smiled. "Sure."

"Great, let's go!"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Danny and Stella were already in the break room and Hawkes was more than excited when he spotted the pot of fresh coffee.

"So, how was Montana?" Stella asked Lindsay when she took her seat across from Stella.

"It was nice," she said and left it at that.

Stella looked at her suspiciously. "And…?"

"And what?"

"What did you do?" Stella asked.

"Helped out with housework, met up with a couple of old friends… Nothing major," she said, taking a sip from her cup.

"Still think the wheat fields beat Manhattan?" Danny asked with a smile.

Lindsay looked at her cup in amusement. "Still haven't seen one?" she shot back and Danny laughed along with all the others.

"What's so funny?" Mac asked as he walked in. He was searching their faces for an answer, his glance stopping at Lindsay.

"Danny vs. wheat fields," Stella offered.

"I see," he said and made a beeline for the coffee pot. "So have you found anything?"

"No," they said more or less in unison.

"OK, just keep on trying…" he trailed off, dropping a lump of sugar into his cup.

The group continued to talk about this and that, sometimes about the case and at times straying to other matters. It was Danny who left first because he had come up with an idea and decided to go for it as fast as possible.

"I think I'll go see what this idea is…" Hawkes had told them and quickly caught up with Danny. Mac swiftly took the vacated seat for himself.

Stella rose from her seat and went to pour herself another cup. "We really need a bigger pot…" she declared after ending up with less than half a cup. "Mac, we need a new coffee maker,"

"I think this one is just fine,"

"Aw, come on,"

"No unless you're willing to pay for it," he stressed his point.

With a heavy sigh Stella wandered out of the room. Mac was sure he heard her debating with herself about purchasing a new one.

"You think she'll actually buy one?" Lindsay asked still delighted by the exchange.

"Just to be safe," Mac said, "I'd say there's a 50/50 chance,"

Lindsay let out a laugh and thought about the odds; he was probably right. She noticed that Mac was yawning quite deeply.

"Didn't get enough sleep?" she asked, feeling a little guilty.

The feeling did not go unnoticed by Mac, not by a long shot. "I'm pretty sure I did," he said reassuringly.

Yet a new smile appeared on Lindsay's face. "Maybe it's _you_ who is coming down with something…"

"Oh, I hope not," he said, repeating the phrase Lindsay had said last night. Secretly he hoped Lindsay's usual sense of these things was slightly off today.

"Are you mocking me?"

"Of course not," Mac said with his characteristic smirk.

Lindsay got up and playfully punched him in the shoulder. "I'll see you later," was all she said before she was gone.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

On Tuesday morning Stella made her way to Mac's office. She had seen him briefly a little earlier and quite frankly he hadn't looked too good. She was sure he was either incredibly tired or just plain old sick. She also knew that if he was sick someone had to go and kick him out of the said office and force him to go home. Stella found herself at his door in no time and after a couple of quick knocks invited herself in.

"My God, you're a mess!" she proclaimed, much to the dismay of Mac.

"Why thank you…" he replied sarcastically.

Stella now stood on the other side of his desk and wore a deadly expression. "You're obviously sick. Go home,"

"I'm fine… It's just a little warm in here and I didn't sleep properly," he explained.

"Yeah, sure. Go home," Stella repeated.

"I'm fully capable of working," Mac said but truthfully he wasn't that convincing – at least not in Stella's eyes.

After a series of more arguments Stella was about to call back up, but Mac finally gave in. She walked him to the door just to make sure he wasn't about to stay around for 'a couple of more minutes'.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"Hi there," Stella said as she walked towards Lindsay who was going over some garment samples.

"Hi Stella,"

"Still haven't found anything?" Stella asked in frustration.

"No, nothing," Lindsay acknowledged. "Hey, have you seen Mac around?"

"Yeah, just sent him home… He seems to have caught some bug and looked really sick. I did pester him about the obvious fever and he gave in a little after that," Stella said with pride in her voice.

"How many times did you tell him that we would be perfectly fine on our own?" Lindsay asked in amusement.

"Three times."

"Wow."

"Yeah… Well, I'm going to go ask Danny about a couple of things," Stella informed and with a swift turn she was on her way.

Lindsay's thoughts stuck on Mac and in no time she knew what she would do.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Mac was lying on his couch watching the evening news. It was around five and though he had spent most of the day resting at home, making and answering an occasional phone call, he was completely beat. The day had been depressing in every aspect and didn't seem to be improving. He hadn't even seen Lindsay, not once. Had she been right! Here he was, sick with the flu. It was ironic and Mac knew it. His eyelids started feeling heavier and heavier and soon he was half asleep.

Ring, ring

'What…?' Mac thought groggily.

Ring, ring

After the second set of ringing he woke up completely and his brain registered the sound as the doorbell.

"Coming!" he yelled and stood up, waiting for his balance to return after lying still for so long.

The ringing stopped and Mac walked to the front door to open it.

"Lindsay," he said sounding surprised.

"Hey," she said softly, taking in the sight. He looked very tired and the pyjama pants/white sleeveless undershirt attire was only adding to the image. He wasn't a bad sight though, Lindsay pondered.

"Come on in, make yourself comfortable," he said. Maybe the day was taking a turn for the better. "What brings you here?"

"I heard an interesting story from Stella…" she began, taking her coat off. "She told me you were sick and wouldn't go home. Among other things," Mac was eyeing a shopping bag that Lindsay was carrying with her. "So I came by to see how you were doing and…" she reached for the bag, "To drop this off."

Lindsay handed Mac a Tupperware box. "It's a day old but I doubt it has gone bad," she added.

Mac shifted his eyes from the box to Lindsay and back again. 'She brought me soup… And by the smell of it, chicken soup,' he thought and was completely taken by her endearing gesture.

"Thank you," Mac asserted, the words meaning a lot more than a simple 'thank you'.

"You're welcome. Don't worry, it is my cooking but I ate it last night and I'm still alive," Lindsay said with a convincing smile.

Mac was about to go into the kitchen, but Lindsay caught up with him and made him stop. "Just stay here, I can take care of it. You seem to have eaten already," she said, glancing at the living room table on top of which was a pizza box. "I'll put it in the fridge for you," she continued, taking the box from his hand. He knew she didn't need any help and she had been to his apartment enough times to know her way around it. So instead of following her he sat on the couch. He felt a little out of place with someone doing all of this for him. Luckily it was a feeling of a good kind.

"Brought you a glass of water. I figured you might like to drink something," she said, placing the glass on to the edge of the coffee table.

"Thanks," he said in a hoarse voice. "You didn't have to–"

"Don't even think about saying it," Lindsay said, effectively cutting him off in the middle of a sentence. They fell silent for a while – Mac drinking the water – only the TV creating a light background noise.

Mac closed his eyes when chills ran down his spine. "How high is the fever?" Lindsay asked with concern.

"I think it's dying down, because of the chills…"

Lindsay rose from her seat reaching for Mac's forehead, softly placing her hand on it. His eyes were still closed and he was slightly startled, but quickly settled under her touch. "Still pretty hot," she said tentatively. "Maybe you should just try sleeping it off," Lindsay suggested.

"I suppose you're right," Mac admitted.

"I'll go fetch you some more water," Mac nodded his thanks and leaned back on the couch.

Lindsay got distracted by a few unwashed dishes and decided to wash them straight away. It would only take a couple of minutes and she figured she could get away with that time. When she was finished and walked back into the living room she found Mac sound asleep. Once again she placed the glass on the table, but this time she picked up the empty pizza box. Placing it next to the front door, she returned to the kitchen, on her way finding a note pad and a pen. After writing a note, she set in on the kitchen table. She hushed around for a couple of more minutes and once more she felt how his fever was progressing. Lindsay pulled a blanket over the sleeping detective and watched him for a while. "It'll all be better tomorrow," she whispered, lightly smoothing his hair and placing a soft kiss on his forehead. She stood back up and switched off the TV and with a final glance at Mac, left the apartment with the empty pizza box.

Mac stirred in his sleep when the door closed. The sound was very low in volume and wasn't enough to wake him. Just a minute ago he had felt a kiss being placed on his head. Little did he know, in his current state of mind, that what he thought was merely a dream was in fact reality.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Feel free to tell me what you think :) You're comments always make me want to write more and they're very encouraging! I love you guys!


	10. Of Notes, A Sphere and Gazing

Sorry it took a while to get this new chapter up. Better late than never! Thank you **dark rolling sea** for helping me out!

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

**CHAPTER 10 – Notes, A Sphere and Gazing**

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Mac awoke feeling rather good. Then again, considering his state the day before any improvement was welcome. He sat up and started regaining his thoughts. He noticed the glass of water on the table; it was full. Had he slept the entire night without waking up? _'Apparently so,' _he thought. _'The pizza box is gone,'_ he realized. _'Lindsay...' _The haze of sleep was drifting away and things got clearer by the second. She had been there yesterday and he could still sense her presence. She had been sweet beyond limits and Mac felt very fortunate for having her do all the things she did for him.

Standing up and taking the glass with him he headed for his kitchen. He coughed a little and knew that his voice would be hoarse all day. Otherwise he was in fact feeling quite good. The fever had subsided and the annoying chills and sweating were gone. He put the glass in the sink and he could have sworn there should be more. Mac turned around and noticed a piece of paper on the table. He didn't recall seeing it there before. Picking it up, he recognized Lindsay's handwriting and read it.

_-- -- -- -- --_

_Mac,_

_Cleaned up a little, hope you don't mind me sticking around for a while after you fell asleep. Thought you could use the help. _

_Hope you're feeling better!_

_Lindsay_

_P.S. The soup should be good with 2 minutes in the microwave, shouldn't get too hot with that. _

**-- -- -- -- --**

Suddenly a smile crept across his lips when it hit him – he hadn't been dreaming and she had given him a little kiss on the forehead. She had stuck around after he had dozed off. _'Well, that explains a lot,'_ he mused. He reread the note, the smile never leaving his face. Now he couldn't wait to see her and glancing at the clock decided to start his morning routine. He was amazed that he had slept for such a long time and knew exactly who was to thank for it.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

The lab was quiet when Lindsay arrived at work. Accompanied by only her thoughts, she paced the hallway, passing a pair of officers on the way. She wasn't expecting to find anyone but when she glanced at Mac's office, she saw him. Lindsay wondered whether he was fit enough to be back.

She knocked lightly on his door and caused him to look up from the papers scattered in front of him.

"Morning," she greeted. "Here already?"

"Morning, and I could say the same thing about you,"

"You got a point there," she admitted. "So how are you feeling?"

"Better," was Mac's short reply.

"The fever's gone?" Lindsay persisted.

"Yeah, I have a sore throat but other than that…"

Lindsay smiled happily at him and Mac could've sworn something inside of him was melting. He wondered if Lindsay knew how much power she already had over him.

"I hear they wrapped up the accident case last night,"

Mac nodded in acknowledgment and shuffled some of his papers. "Yeah," he said as more papers switched places on the table. "I should have a... file… somewhere," Mac said, focusing on finding it.

"Piled up paper work?" Lindsay asked.

"All it takes is one day. Less than a day, actually," Mac claimed and Lindsay could not help but sense the frustration.

The distinct ring of a cell phone sounded in the room. There was a short exchange between Mac and Flack before they hung up.

"We've got a new case," he informed.

"Where? And what?" Lindsay queried.

"In Central Park, a young woman," Mac added while grabbing his coat.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Stella joined Mac and Lindsay once they arrived at the crime scene. Lying there on the ground was a body of a female, around 20-25 years of age. They processed the scene and while they were very thorough and focused on their work, Stella noticed something different between Mac and Lindsay. The things she saw were very subtle and small but they were there; the occasional brush of arms and the brief glances in each other's direction. Most of all she noted the ease that surrounded the two when they worked closely together. She wasn't quite sure how to describe it, but it was definitely there and different from what colleagues or even friends usually had. She had wondered why Mac had loosened up a bit during the past year and now she was sure she knew why.

"I think we're ready to leave now," Stella declared.

Lindsay was also just looking around at that point. "I second that."

"I think you're right," Mac concurred. "OK, let's wrap this up,"

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Along with a tiny purse the victim had had with her, they had found her driver's licence which revealed her name to be Kathy Rogers. She was only 24 years old.

"So, Sid, what's your verdict?" Lindsay asked.

"Cause of death: a heavy blow to the back of her head. Well, actually it was the second one that killed her," he said, showing them his findings. "Her skull was fractured severely by the first one and the second made it even worse. I couldn't define what caused it. Not yet, anyway," he pondered. "What I can tell you is that it was something round and blunt,"

"Anything else?" Mac asked hopefully. Sid continued to fill them in and showed them the bruising that was present and so on.

"Oh, and she was wearing this bulky necklace," Sid said, giving Stella a bag containing the item. "It reminds me of an old girlfriend I–" he started but didn't finish the story after seeing the looks he received from both Mac and Stella. "Never mind," he said with a hint of disappointment.

"Don't worry," Lindsay said grinning, "I'm sure someone else will come by soon,"

Mac resisted the urge to snort and with that they left the morgue.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

"So we need to find the object that was used to kill her. It wasn't lying around anywhere near the body… But maybe it's still there," Lindsay stated.

"Maybe the killer threw it somewhere in the vicinity of the scene," Stella offered.

"It's a wide search area, you go and try to find it," Mac said, nodding in the direction of both Lindsay and Stella. "Her mother should be arriving shortly so I'll stay here,"

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

On the way to the Central Park Stella decided it was time to ask a few strategic questions from Lindsay. She was slightly more probable to tell her something than Mac. Well, Mac was in a league of his own. If only she managed to ask the right questions… OK, so there weren't any specific questions but she was going to try - if for no other purpose than to support her theory that those two were good for each other.

"So, you and Mac have been spending a lot of time together."

"I always thought that was what friends do…" Lindsay said with a smile.

"Not what I meant by that…"

"In that case, I have no idea what you're saying," Lindsay defended herself; pretty sure she wasn't fooling Stella. Hence she turned her attention to her watch and studied the time a little too intently.

"I'm just saying…" Stella said laughing, "You sure there could never be anything more to it than just friendship?"

Lindsay was rather stunned by her remark, but also a little worried: were other people noticing the change in their behaviour? She wasn't quite sure how to describe their relationship though. They were coming closer together but there was still a long way to go if they ever even started down that road. _'Or are we on it already?_' she asked herself. _'I'd sure like to think so…' _she finished

"I'm sure you have drawn your own conclusions already," Lindsay added light-heartedly as if nothing had gone through her mind just seconds ago.

'_Oh, do I…'_ Stella thought. A silence fell between them but Stella broke it after a while, "Frankly, I think it'd be great!" It was all she said before the quietude returned and strangely enough it wasn't as awkward as one might have assumed.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Upon reaching the scene Stella and Lindsay started going through the nearby area in attempt to find the object that had been used to kill Kathy Rogers. Not to the surprise of either of them, they had to widen their search further away from the spot where the body had been found. Even though bits and pieces of their conversation earlier kept popping in to Lindsay's head every now and then, she ignored them. This was not the time and place to contemplate her feelings and where she stood when it came to them.

After some time, Lindsay gave a shout to Stella. "I got something!"

Lindsay pulled herself back up from the squatting position she had been in. She examined the round rock in her hands. It weighed maybe 3 pounds and was shaped like a ball.

"It has blood on it and it seems to coincide with the size of the object we are looking for. I'd say this is it," Lindsay pondered while carefully turning the ball around.

"Definitely, but what is that? Looks like decoration." Stella said with her eyebrows slightly raised.

"Well, maybe from a bridge or a fence. You know, the brick or stone ones that have some sort of decoration at the corner posts."

"I don't know any bridges in Central Park that would have these kind of... things. This looks very new or it's very well restored or preserved. Maybe from in front of some house or apartment building?"

"Could be," Lindsay replied.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

After Lindsay and Stella had arrived back at the lab, Mac came by to see what they had found. He was pleased with the progress. In turn he told what Kathy's mother had told about her daughter. They had found out the name of her boyfriend, or that is what her mother had assumed him to be, and he was just about to leave with Flack to meet with him.

Mac was just about to leave his office after returning from his visit, but was briefly interrupted when Lindsay appeared at his door.

"Everything OK?" she asked and saw Mac wipe some sweat off of his forehead.

He raised his eyes to meet hers and once again saw the same concern as the night before. "Yeah, everything's fine."

She accepted the answer, although not without doubt. "Uh huh," she said, her face anything but serene. "Just wanted to make sure…"

Mac had to smile at that. He had noticed that her visits to his office had become more frequent recently. Not that he was complaining, quite the opposite in fact.

"I know you have to get going, so I'll see you later?" Lindsay anticipated and Mac nodded.

He led her out of his office and after exchanging hasty goodbyes they parted. Lindsay turned and began to walk away. She felt Mac's eyes on her and a smile crept across her lips – there was no denying that she liked it.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

And… let's leave it that until the next chapter. :)

As always, comments are appreciated.


	11. Of Robson, Nausea and Dinner

Thank you for all the new reviews! You truly make me want to write more!

Thank you to my wonderful beta, **dark rolling sea**. :)

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

**CHAPTER 11 – Of Robson, Nausea and Dinner**

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Mac was on his way back to the lab after visiting the house of Kathy's alleged boyfriend. He was Tony Robson, a 33-year-old broker. He claimed there had been no relationship; it had been a fling at the most. The feeling had obviously been one sided because Kathy had spoken to her mother about him as 'maybe being the one'. If there hadn't been a motive in clear sight just yet, there was another interesting fact to make up for it.

Tony lived in a very modern apartment that had an Asian tint to it. Not only was the furniture and other interior designed that way, there was also a little zen-like garden in the balcony. It wasn't the sand and the miniature shrubs that had caught Mac's attention, but the stone spheres that were placed on top of the sand. They varied in place and size, some were in clumps and a few were loose. It didn't take a feng shui expert to notice the empty spot with a hole that seemed perfect for the sphere Lindsay and Stella had found in the park earlier. Flack had asked the man about the absence of the stone but with no avail. They would have to wait for the results of the DNA tests, because the lack of the sphere alone wasn't enough to bring him in.

Now that he was just sitting in the car, the slight nauseating feeling he was experiencing felt even stronger as there were no distractions. He pulled up to the parking lot and quickly paced into his office, trying to shake off and forget the ominous feeling. The walk helped a bit but the wariness still lingered.

Upon reaching his office Mac sat down and leaning back in his chair, ran his hands through his hair, leaving them to rest on his face. He sincerely hoped this was that one final set back before getting well. With a heavy sigh, he got up and headed back out with the agenda of finding Stella and Lindsay.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Stella was eyeing some papers when Mac came to stand beside her.

"What's new?" he queried, managing to read the letter combination 'DNA' before Stella noticed him and moved the papers subconsciously.

"Hey, you're back," Stella announced, noticing that he looked rather uncomfortable. "Got the DNA results back,"

"And?"

"There was, not surprisingly, a lot the vic's blood on the stone sphere, but also a tiny bit of the same blood that we found on the vic's clothes. She must've fought with the killer before she was hit because after the head trauma she suffered, she was either dead or unconscious. We didn't find a match for the other DNA though…" Stella sighed. "How about your visit?"

"There were spheres exactly like the one you found in the apartment of Robson. One of them was missing," he told her. "Let's get a sample of his blood." Mac finished and started to walk away. He dialled Flack and told him to get Robson to the station.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

In the end it took almost two days for Robson to give them the blood sample they needed. His lawyer kept on stalling them, but of course they couldn't keep it up forever. The DNA analysis confirmed their suspicions and Tony Robson had to come clean. He told them how the two had had a fight about the state of their relationship and it had gotten ugly and physical. She had stormed out, running away. Tony was a very tempered man and he had grabbed the stone and gone after her. The adrenalin and anger had taken over and he had hit Kathy in the head. Still shocked by his actions he had left the scene, throwing the rock away. He didn't even recall why it was the thing he had taken with him. All he could plea to was that anger had driven him to do what had happened. It was a sad case, as were all the others.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

It had been good day that Friday and an even better afternoon – the bad guy was about to be put behind bars. Everyone was relieved that the weekend was almost there and they would be able to get some rest and loosen up a little.

Mac was walking along the corridor. He knew the others had gone for a drink at a local bar but had declined Stella's invitation. She had objected, as usual, but had let it go abruptly. He was beginning to regret his decision, but the thought was erased once he saw a figure sitting in an empty lab. A figure he unmistakably knew as Lindsay. He let himself in and saw that she was working on a report.

"You don't have to do that tonight, you know," he said, letting her know he was there.

Lindsay lifted her gaze from the screen of the laptop, her concentration breaking. She smiled happily because this was a welcomed interruption. "Well, I have to do it sometime, don't I?"

Mac nodded with a smirk. "I thought you went with the others," he gestured at the door.

"Didn't really feel like going and I had some stuff to finish here," she offered.

"Would you consider leaving it at that for the weekend?" he asked, nodding at the report.

"It depends. For what?" Lindsay said with a tiny grin.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go get something to eat instead of the bar,"

Lindsay didn't have to think twice, the report could easily wait and the other option was much more enjoyable. "I'm in," she said and started turning off the laptop. Mac was very pleased with the way his suggestion had turned out – the day just kept on getting better by the hour.

With a smile still plastered on Lindsay's face, she got up from her chair. Her coat was already there, slumped on another stool. Once she grabbed it, they headed for the door, turning off the light when they exited the room.

Once they were both ready to leave, they left the building and agreed to once again go to the usual place. It provided all they needed and it was on the way to their apartments. Mac's hand found its spot at the small of Lindsay's back as they set off to the car park. The distance wasn't long so the contact was brief, but it was better than nothing. They started talking about the case and the aftermath. Before they knew it they had reached their destination and slipped out of the car. Mac's hand quickly reclaimed its previous place and Lindsay was happily surprised when she felt the faint pressure on her back. Was this turning into a habit?

There were a few free tables when they stepped in. Picking one of them, they walked to it and sat down. Hastily a waiter came by and took their orders. She must've been in a hurry, at least by the looks of it.

"Got any plans for the weekend?" Lindsay asked Mac.

"No, have to swing by the office, might as well stay there for the day,"

"Ah, ah. You are not spending your weekend at work!" she protested. "I will drag you out of there myself if I have to,"

"Really?" Mac asked suspiciously.

"Yes,"

"That a promise?"

This was Lindsay's chance to keep the promise she made to herself while in Montana. "Would you consider having lunch with me?" she asked, a little worried he might say no.

"OK," he said after a few seconds passed by. "Sounds like a plan,"

"Great!" Lindsay exclaimed.

They shared a smile and the feeling of contentment remained. They were both satisfied by the decision and hoped this would be a turn for something even better than what they already had. There certainly was plenty of potential for it, and if they hadn't read each other completely wrong, willingness.

Their food arrived shortly and they ate in silence, enjoying each other's company. They had become very good at that recently. Lindsay started to wonder if Stella had tried poking information out of Mac as well. It was nice to know she had no objections, but also a little weird knowing she was keeping an eye out, probably at all times. She grinned at the image of Stella grilling Mac for information about his personal life and almost snorted. Lindsay knew they were good friends but doubted he'd be that open.

Mac saw her expression change. Did she just almost snort? He wondered what she was thinking about. Regardless of what it was, she looked very relaxed – and beautiful. This was definitely the place where he wanted to be at the moment.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

After the pair had eaten, they stayed there for a while talking, about this and that. It was rather late by the time they finally left. The underlying reluctance to part was making them walk slower than usual and it took them almost twice as long to get back to the car as it had to get to the diner. Lindsay was resting her head on her arm which was propped up by the door's little arm rest. It was quiet and the week had taken its toll. Soon she found her eyes threatening to close and unable to resist she fell asleep. Mac looked to his side and saw the sleeping form. He knew she had been under a heavy work load and because of the late hour wasn't that astounded. She looked incredibly peaceful and he felt bad that he had to wake her in just a little bit.

Pulling up to the side of the road, Mac turned off the engine. He placed his hand on Lindsay's shoulder and gently shook her awake. "We're here," he informed her.

She opened her eyes and looked around her a little groggily. "Sorry, must've dozed off…"

"Hey, no problem. You gonna be OK going up alone?" Mac inquired, genuine concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah," she said, stretching a little and opening the door. "Thanks for the dinner and the good company. I had a nice time," she said, smiling sleepily.

Mac smiled back at her. "Me too, good night,"

"Night, and I'll see you tomorrow," Lindsay said and slammed the door shut. She started wandering to the direction of the door. Mac watched her disappear to the other side of it and figured she would be alright. _'Tomorrow…' _he mused and with that in mind left for home.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

That was it for this chapter… So what did you think?

I'm pretty sure you're going to like the next one a lot... _-mysterious grin-_


	12. Of Anticipation, Promises and Revelation

Thank you **dark rolling sea**, your advice is priceless :)

Now, I hope you enjoy the latest instalment…

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

**CHAPTER 12 – Of Anticipation, Promises and Revelations**

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Saturday morning was dawning and the first rays of sun were washing over the city. Mac stirred in his bed and slowly opened his eyes. His brain registered that he was supposed to go to work. He hadn't slept that well and getting up wasn't a very good incentive. Then he remembered his lunch plans and things started to look up. Last night he had thought about where he stood when it came to Lindsay and he had noticed something valuable – she had brought a new light into his life. He wanted to spend time with her and be there for her. Lindsay had become his strongest reason to live. He had friends, but after Claire had died a huge gap had opened. No one could ever take her place, but he truly hoped life would provide him with another chance. This was it and he knew it. There was no way he was going to just let it slip away.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Lindsay was at her front door, trying to reach her keys while balancing an enormous bag of groceries. After what could be called a struggle against time and falling vegetables, she got in and headed straight for the kitchen. Checking the time she wondered if she should just head to the lab. She hadn't made any plans with Mac about where they would go, so it would be wise to just meet up. She started putting the things she had bought away, glancing at the clock on the wall every now and then. Lindsay was looking forward to her lunch plans. She felt a little tentative about what the lunch might mean but decided not to over think it. Underneath the surface she was hoping this would be the next little step in their relationship, because something was telling her this wasn't just an ordinary lunch.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Mac was shifting through the reports and other documents that had once again taken over his desk. It was times like these when he sometimes wished he would have a different job. He wasn't completely done yet and considering the time he thought of calling Lindsay about where to meet her. He abandoned the idea and returned his attention to the piece of paper he was currently holding on to. Frustration was growing in his mind, as every report seemed to resemble the last one more and more and there was still some to go. The task felt endless. A couple of minutes passed before there was a soft knock on the door and Lindsay let herself in.

"You almost done?" she asked with a smile.

Mac's mood immediately improved a notch when he saw her. "Done, no, but I could really use a break right about now," he said, getting up from his seat.

"Good, I was a little worried my timing was completely off."

"No such thing – it is Saturday after all," he said. Lindsay was happy to notice that he seemed to be in a good mood and according to his last statement, he might actually let loose, even if it was just a little bit.

"Great, otherwise I would've dragged you out of here whether you were ready or not," she joked but Mac was pretty sure she would have done that.

"So where are we going?" he asked, pulling on his suit jacket. It was warmer than last week and he doubted he'd need anything warmer. Lindsay was also sporting lighter clothing and he figured his decision was a good one.

"I don't know, but what I do know is that the sun is shining and we could walk to some place close,"

"Alright," he said and opened the door. "After you."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

They ended up walking for quite sometime before they settled for a fairly little place next to Central Park. They kept on passing other places because of various reasons; either they were too crowded or were specialized in something they didn't want. Lindsay passed one because to her the place looked 'hazy and a bit creepy'. She had given him a funny look after he had laughed at the basis on which she had dismissed the restaurant.

'_You have to admit, it was creepy,'_

'_You mean the fact that the interior was completely yellow and orange, even the furniture,'_

'_Yes!'_

'_OK, it was a little out there…'_

'_Ha, told ya…'_

He smirked at the recent memory. Talk of the devil, she was lost in her thoughts, staring at nothing in particular. Mac wondered what she could be thinking but was interrupted by the waiter. When they started eating they resumed the playful banter that came to them so naturally. Laughing at each others comments, time passed quickly; a little too quickly, if you asked either of them.

"I should probably get going," Mac informed when they exited the restaurant. A flash of disappointment crossed Lindsay's face. She really didn't want him to go just yet.

"You sure? It's not like those reports need to be read by tonight…" Lindsay said. "Or so I presume," she continued. Mac was obviously weighing his options. "Come on, we could both use the company,"

She was right and Mac knew it. Plus, there was really no competition between Lindsay and paper work. Especially when he didn't, in all truthfulness, _have_ to do it today. Spending the afternoon with her was doubtlessly the better and more preferable alternative.

"OK, I can live with that," he affirmed, earning one of Lindsay's biggest smiles.

"Great, what do you want to do?" she asked enthusiastically with a little jump in her step.

Mac loved seeing her like this, happy and full of life. She too had her demons but the times when they were out of her mind she was pure joy. "Hmm, we could go to the park,"

"Sounds good," Lindsay asserted and they crossed the street.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

They walked around for what felt like mere minutes but was actually an hour. Coming across an empty park bench in a quiet place, they gladly sat down. After all the walking, sitting down felt remarkably good. They sat in silence until Mac broke it.

"Claire and I used to come here, usually on Tuesdays… not sure why on Tuesdays," he said, revealing the little detail. "She used to love to watch people who were here," he added. Lindsay smiled with a hint of sadness. She felt somewhat privileged to be hearing this; Mac was not one to talk about her late wife very often. Lindsay assumed it was too painful and also very personal.

"I really miss that, but I'm glad I can still remember the good things. Luckily it gets a little easier every day," he said, voicing his thoughts. Lindsay was listening intently and she knew that this was something he had to do – needed to do. He continued to talk about Claire and his life before and after her death. Slowly the bits and pieces started to form a picture of their life and the love they had shared. They sat very close and Mac took comfort in that.

"I – I think I've made my peace, but that doesn't take away the fact that I miss her," he said, his eyes watering. Lindsay took his hand in hers and gently squeezed it, offering whatever comfort she was able to give. "I'll take the bad if I can still remember the good," he concluded and returned the squeeze.

Lindsay looked straight in front of her and began, "My past, it's got its darker side too…" She went on to tell Mac about her life and the good and the really bad things. She talked for a long time and it almost felt like badly needed therapy. There was no exaggerated drama, but the tears began to stream down her cheeks as the memories flooded into her mind. She shuddered and at that point Mac took her into his arms and held her. She hadn't lost control of her emotions completely but gladly complied. They stayed like that for quite some time, almost entirely still, holding each other. It was almost as if they were absorbing each other's emotions. Everything seemed silent and when they parted – neither of them knew just how long they had been leaning on each other. What they did know, was that they felt better and some of the baggage had disappeared.

A new level of closeness and intimacy had risen between the two during the revelations they had just shared. A tiny, knowing and relieved smile was forming across the lips of both of them. No words were needed at this point and getting up Mac held his hand out for Lindsay. She accepted it and he helped her up, holding onto her hand a little longer before giving one final squeeze and letting go.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

They started walking in the direction they had previously come from and Mac looked at his watch. They had spent nearly two hours talking about their lives and the afternoon was effectively turning into evening. If he had even thought about going back to work earlier, now the thought was farther away than he could've ever known possible. Work was what he was good at and mostly what he lived for these days, but as he had realized before, things had changed. His eyes drifted to his side where Lindsay was striding.

"I could really use a cup of coffee…" she said wishfully, meeting Mac's eyes.

"So could I," he replied, "The usual place?"

"Definitely," Lindsay answered contently and they quickened their pace, all the while walking very closely, arms brushing continuously.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

After having their coffee, both Mac and Lindsay were feeling more brisk. All the emotion had, nevertheless, taken its toll and tiredness was taking over. Mac saw Lindsay trying to stifle a yawn.

"Want me to walk you home?"

"I'd like that," she said, sounding pleased.

They stepped out on the street when Lindsay suddenly stopped on her feet. "Wait, you probably went to work by car, didn't you?"

"I can walk on Monday morning," he said with a warm smile.

"Okay then," Lindsay acknowledged and they started walking again.

It took some time before they reached Lindsay's apartment building but time wasn't an issue. It had been fun and the light-heartedness had resumed, creating a pleasurable atmosphere – one that didn't put much strain on their emotions. They had had enough seriousness for one day. Walking up the stairs to Lindsay's door, she started to search for her keys.

"Thank you," Mac said when they ceased to walk. Lindsay looked at him questioningly. "For listening and–"

"Thank you to you too, this was a nice way to spend my Saturday," Lindsay told him. "It's good to know there's someone who I can confide in," she finished with a tiny smile.

"It truly is," Mac asserted.

They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment and when Lindsay was about to turn and open the door Mac took hold of her hand and pulled her into his arms. They hugged tightly, expressing the things they had experienced together that day; the things they had shared with one another. Mac pressed a gentle kiss on her head. It was a promise of future and an implication of his growing feelings.

"I'd better get going," he said, reluctantly letting go. "See you soon," he said, uttering it more as a question than a statement.

"You can count on it," Lindsay said, half whispering and watched him turn and head for the stairs.

'_What a day it had been…'_ was the top thought in the minds of both of them.

That night sleep came easily and the nightmares that tended to haunt them were replaced by dreams of everything that was good. Any doubts they might have had about going down the path they were about to, had vanished into thin air. It had been a day of revelations.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Here you have it! I loved writing this chapter because I felt this was a very important one. Well, I loved writing the previous ones too but… hope you got the idea. :) So, what did you think?

Oh and things get even more interesting (and better) in chap 13… So stay tuned!


	13. Of Distractions and New Beginnings

Hi all! Thank you for the lovely reviews I got concerning the last chapter. I'm glad you liked it so much. :)

And thank you **dark rolling sea** for betaing once again (Is that even a word? Beta-ing?)

I have some stuff to take care of during the next couple of days so the next chapter might take a while to appear… But fear not, it will come as soon as possible!

Now read on!

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

**CHAPTER 13 – Of Distractions and New Beginnings**

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Lindsay was sitting at her kitchen table, listening to the TV in the other room while she made herself breakfast. She was feeling incredibly refreshed and it wasn't just because of the shower she had just taken. Some of it, or should she say most of it, was because of a certain detective with whom she had spent her Saturday. She started to read the morning paper, but found herself stopping to reminisce about the day before. Lindsay could still feel Mac's touch and smiled at the memory. She sighed, but it was a happy sigh. Did she have it bad or what… Gathering her thoughts, she decided this was as good a time as any to call her folks back in Montana.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

It was late in the afternoon and Mac was sitting on his couch, catching up on some of the paperwork he had brought home during the week. Flipping through the various pages he was glad to find that he had just picked up the last stack. It took him a lot longer than he thought to finish it up and looking at the time he saw the clock spell 'coffee' – at least in his mind. Looking inside his kitchen cabinet, he was disappointed to notice that he was fresh out of it. He weighed his options and decided that if he was going to get coffee, he might as well get some company while at it. There was only one name that sounded like the perfect option.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

There was an old black and white movie on and Lindsay was curled up in the corner of her couch. Occasionally she laughed out loud or changed her position to get more comfortable. It was still early in the evening, around six, but she had no plans, so she had dug out a small bucket of ice cream from the freezer. She was slightly startled when she heard her cell phone ring. She wasn't expecting a call, so she was anxious to know who it was. She reached for it as it was on the coffee table and glanced at the caller ID.

"Hey! What's up?" she answered happily.

"Hi, how does coffee sound?" Mac asked.

Lindsay looked around her living room, her eyes landing on the half eaten ice cream bucket. "Wonderful."

Mac wondered what she had been thinking about during those few seconds of silence, but decided to just shrug it off. "I'll be there in a minute."

"Great!"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Two minutes after the phone call Lindsay's doorbell rang. 'It can't be…' she reasoned, pulling on a clean sweater. She stumbled out of her bedroom and to the door. Unlocking it, her initial thoughts were overthrown and she saw Mac standing on her doorstep with two cups of coffee.

"Wow… That was fast," was all she managed to say.

Mac smirked and Lindsay stepped aside so he could come in. "I saw the light," he said, nodding at a table lamp. "Emanating from your window,"

"I see," she said, smiling.

"Did I interrupt something?" Mac asked, seeing the ice cream.

"No, unless you count watching a random movie and eating unhealthy food important," Lindsay said, making her way to the ice cream and taking it to the kitchen. "Make yourself at home," she yelled and Mac heard the distinctive sound of a freezer door. "I'll be right there!"

Taking off his coat Mac placed the two cups on the coffee table, along with a paper bag containing two bagels, and sat on the couch.

"I didn't know you had a personal coffee distributor outside your house," Mac said loudly enough for Lindsay to hear.

"You mean Mr. Ferguson?" she replied with a laugh as she returned to the living room. "He runs his little stall in front of the building every other weekend. Apparently he was sick yesterday…" she said, her gaze finding the bag on the table. Mac found her study of the tiny sack amusing; it was one of the things he found endearing about her.

"Go for it," he said.

She grabbed the bag and peered inside. "Courtesy of Mr. Ferguson, aren't they?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"Yes, I was only going to get two coffees but apparently he'd seen me with you and insisted I take them. He said he figured I was on my way to see you. So, a friend of yours?"

"Yeah, I met him the day I moved to this apartment and I'm a loyal customer," Lindsay took one of the bagels and sat next to Mac. "So were you?"

"Was I what?" Mac asked in confusion.

"Coming to see me,"

"Yes," he promptly uttered. Lindsay was perplexed by the fact that Mac didn't even take time to think what he should say. There was no sign of hesitance and she felt a thrill travel through her body. "What's the movie?" Mac asked abruptly.

"I don't know, actually. Just started watching it because nothing else was on and I was bored," Lindsay admitted, letting the subject of his fortitude slide. "So, how was your day?"

The easy flowing conversation that had become so familiar during the past few weeks, resumed once again. It had become their way of unwinding while spending time together and learning about each other. Hours could be spent like this and given the opportunity it seemed to happen every time. Slowly the talk started to become more periodic, especially when a new movie came on and they started watching it. Sitting closely together they could feel each others every move.

It was well into the evening when Mac noticed Lindsay's breathing turn more even and her head inclined to lean against his upper arm. He couldn't help but smile – this was where he felt at home. Mac relished every part of the moment, especially the feel of Lindsay, her warmth, her beautiful features and the way the corners of her lips were slightly turned up, as if into a small smile. He could've watched her forever, never getting bored.

Mac knew he had to get going and gently laid Lindsay on her side, careful not to wake her in the process. He hypothesized it was his turn to get rid of the empty cups and he collected them and the empty paper bag, throwing them in the kitchen trash can. Turning off the TV, he headed for the door. While he was putting on his jacket Lindsay awoke. After a few seconds passed she was back in her senses, well as much a person can be after just waking up.

"You're leaving," she said, albeit stating the obvious.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Mac said apologetically.

Lindsay glanced around her, noting the absence of the used paper coffee mugs and the lack of noise and light from the TV. She smiled to herself and got up from the couch. "Thanks for cleaning up."

"I assumed it was my turn."

"I suppose so," Lindsay laughed lightly. "But thanks anyway."

"No problem," Mac assured.

"Want some company tomorrow morning while walking to work?" Lindsay asked and closed in the distance between them.

"I'd love some,"

Lindsay seemed pleased and they hugged goodbye, it was brief but Lindsay found the time to give Mac a little peck on the cheek.

"Night," they said and with that, Lindsay closed the door. She took a deep breath and decided to reclaim her spot on the couch. It looked empty, but it would have to do.

Meanwhile Mac was making his way downstairs, thinking about none other than Lindsay. He had run over and over in his head how he felt about her and he knew she reciprocated those feelings. After their close encounter the previous day, he felt it was time to face those feelings – together. Realizing this, he knew he had to go back and see her. Why he felt that this was the time to go and truly face her, he wasn't quite sure. All he knew was that he had to do so.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Lindsay's doorbell rang for the second time that night and she wondered if Mac had forgotten something. She hopped up and went to unlock the door.

"Did you leave something behind–" she started but never finished the sentence. Before she even knew it, her lips had been caught in a soft but passionate kiss. She leaned in closer and closed her eyes. Almost as if in return, a pair of hands found their way to her waist, pulling her even closer and Lindsay threw her hands behind Mac's neck. They deepened the kiss, savouring the moment. All the emotion they held for each other was surfacing and they were willing to show it. When the two parted and opened their eyes, they were still lingering very close to each other. A content and a happy smile was evident on both of their faces.

"Well, that was… more than nice," Lindsay said, her voice more of a whisper.

Mac chuckled softly. "Definitely," he concurred and captured Lindsay's lips for another kiss. It felt right and natural and they clung to each other, still standing in the doorway.

"So, see you tomorrow morning?" Mac asked hoarsely as they began to let go.

"7:30," Lindsay elaborated.

"I'll be here," Mac assured her and Lindsay gave him one last, quick kiss, as they squeezed each other's hands before Mac left.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

As Mac was walking home he thought about what had just occurred. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt like he was feeling now. Obviously his decision to go back had paid off and he was more than pleased. Things were indeed starting to look up and improve by the day. He couldn't fathom why he had been so lucky to have Lindsay turn up in his life. Whatever it was that they shared, it was certainly something special.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

So here you have it! The long awaited kiss… well, you got a couple of extra ones too. Hehe.

Any thoughts on this "development"?

Thanks for reading! ;)


	14. Of Mornings, Fatigue and Groceries

Thank you to my wonderful beta, **dark rolling sea**.

And a hugethank you to all the reviewers. Glad you're liking this :)

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

**CHAPTER 14 – Of Mornings, Fatigue and Groceries**

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Lindsay glanced at the thermometer before heading outside. It confirmed her suspicions about the weather being chillier than during the past couple of days. Otherwise the Monday morning was beautiful: there were no big chunks of clouds in the sky, no sign of approaching rain and of course she was in an extremely good mood. Lindsay's thoughts drifted back to the previous night, like they had for countless times before. Her relationship with Mac had taken a new turn and of which she was very thrilled. _'Speaking of which,' _she thought. _"I should get going…"_ The clock on the wall read 7:23 and she figured she should get her things and head downstairs to meet Mac.

Collecting her cell and a couple of other items, she stuffed them in her bag. Quickly throwing on a jacket she left her apartment. Knowing Mac, he'd be there at exactly 7:30. As she strolled down the flight of stairs she noticed the lingering feeling of anticipation and longing and couldn't help but smile.

When she reached the bottom floor she stepped outside to find Mr. Ferguson there. He greeted her and they exchanged a few kind words. She could already spot Mac in the distance, walking towards them. When Mac reached them, she said goodbye to Mr. Ferguson.

"Bye," he said. "You take good care of her now," he continued, aiming the statement at Mac.

Lindsay was about to say something, but Mr. Ferguson beat her to it. "I know, I know…" he muttered and headed back inside.

Lindsay saw the smirk that was forming on Mac's face. "Oh, please…"

"What?" he said innocently.

Lindsay shot him her best 'oh-like-you-don't-know'-look but it turned into a smile.

"So, morning," Lindsay said and turned to face him completely.

"Morning," Mac replied, looking straight into her eyes for a brief moment and leaning in for a quick kiss. He was somewhat relieved when Lindsay complied and responded. "Not a bad way to start the day," he said as they began to walk along the sidewalk.

"Not at all," Lindsay retorted and with that their hands sought out for the other. Their fingers were entwined within seconds and the grip was tight. The feeling of warmth that followed was unpredictably soothing.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

When the two reached their workplace, they let go of each other. There was a silent agreement of keeping things quiet. Work was work and that's how they were going to keep it, at least for now. Lindsay went to the lab, while Mac headed to his office.

"Hey there," Stella greeted Lindsay when she entered the break room. Lindsay was hovering around the coffee maker, measuring the two key ingredients.

"Oh, hi!"

"No new cases yet?" Stella queried, taking off her coat.

"I'm sure there will be. The weekend shift sure got their share…"

"Yeah, I heard they came this close to calling us in," Stella stated, demonstrating the alleged amount with her fingers.

Lindsay finished with the coffee maker and moved to sit with Stella. They continued to chat about this and that and drinking their coffee. It was rarely possible to start the morning this calmly.

"Well, I gotta go finish my report," Stella announced when she stood up.

"Me too," Lindsay said, doing the same.

Stella looked somewhat intrigued. "I thought you finished it on Friday after we left,"

"I didn't, I left soon after you guys."

"Found something more interesting to do?"

"Something like that," Lindsay said mysteriously. Stella had an idea what it could be but then again, it could be anything. Her trail of thought was brought to a halt when Danny stormed in.

"Hey Montana, we got a case!"

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

As Lindsay had ensured Stella, all of them soon found themselves in the midst of a case. Mac, Hawkes and Stella worked on one while Danny and Lindsay had the other. Flack was also running back and forth making it a normal Monday.

In the afternoon Mac stopped by the lab Lindsay was in. She was fixated on a watch she was examining.

She heard the door open and looked up from the item. "Hi," she said with a small smile.

"Hey, is the case coming together at all yet?" Mac asked, walking to stand right beside Lindsay.

"Nothing groundbreaking. I just sent more samples to DNA and the previous ones aren't done yet…"

"What about…" Mac began, nodding at the watch in Lindsay's hands.

"There were no blood spatters, but it has stopped. I'm thinking it probably broke when he fought back. See these marks here?" Lindsay told him and pointed them out.

Mac leaned closer to see the tiny marks. "Looks like it hit something pretty hard," he mused, turning his face to Lindsay.

"Exactly, I'll try to find out what," Lindsay said, finding her face only a couple of inches away from Mac's. With a knowing smile they moved away from each other.

"So, keep me posted," Mac said rather softly and then left.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

"Mac!" Stella yelled when she saw him coming out of one of the labs. "What's with the smile?"

Mac was startled when he heard the last part, but in his usual manner, didn't show it. "Nothing too interesting," he said a little more flatly than he had initially intended.

"If it makes you smile it's gotta be good…" Stella reasoned. "Come on, what?" she pleaded. Then she noticed where he came from and could see Lindsay. "Then again, it's not a what but a who…"

"I thought you had something you wanted me to see," Mac said, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah," she said, letting the matter drop for the moment. "Actually, Sid has. I was just coming to get you."

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

The next couple of days were spent trying to solve the cases at hand. Lindsay and Danny's case wrapped up on Thursday when they finally managed to find that one critical piece of evidence to convict the man they already knew was the killer. Since the other case was still open, they helped with it. With the mutual effort, the perb was caught early on Friday evening – much to the joy of the team. That meant they could hopefully have an uninterrupted weekend.

The week had gone by so fast in the hectic environment that everyone's social life had been reduced to zero, or very close to it. Later that night the entire gang decided to go and grab a bite at their usual dining spot, before heading home.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Flack was getting an extra cup of coffee. He was waiting for the waiter to finish when Stella appeared beside him.

"Hey, thought I'd get one too," she said.

Flack turned around and looked at the others who were seated at the table. Danny and Hawkes were debating over sports – he could easily hear enough to know that – while Mac and Lindsay were listening to it, exchanging a few comments here and there. He also noticed that they were sitting extremely close.

"OK, is it just me or is there something going on between those two?" Flack asked Stella, who smiled at his observation. "I mean, there's always that one extra glance and a lot of smiles directed at the other one…" he continued, shifting his eyes from Mac and Lindsay to Stella in search of an answer.

"I was wondering when someone else would pick up on it."

"So there is?"

"Well, I can't say I'm a hundred percent sure there is, but there could very well be. I mean look at them," she exclaimed, though quietly, nodding at the pair.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Meanwhile, at the table the mostly playful dispute between Hawkes and Danny was ceasing. Lindsay was on the verge of bursting out laughing because of the weird glances the two were now exchanging along with a few more arguments.

"I don't think you're going to settle this… but how about finding at least some common ground," Mac said in amusement.

They gave him a weird look and idly changed the subject. Stella and Flack returned to the table and the conversation started brewing again.

"I believe it's time for me to get going," Lindsay informed the group and tried to stifle a yawn, failing miserably.

"I'll give you a ride," Mac said and got up.

They said their goodbyes and started toward the front door. Mac opened the door for Lindsay and the way his hand stayed on her back didn't go unnoticed by both Stella and Flack. Stella turned to Flack and showed off with her best 'I-told-you-so'-smile.

Lindsay yawned yet again, the tiredness becoming even more evident. Mac unlocked the car and they got in. The drive was quiet. They were both deep in their own thoughts. Mac glanced at Lindsay and sighed mentally. He had really missed her during the week. Seeing each other briefly maybe once or twice a day just wasn't enough – especially when it was at work. He loved seeing her like this; completely relaxed and with no obvious worries. Her features were calm and she seemed to be at peace and not just because of the fatigue.

Lindsay tucked a few strands of stray hair behind her ear and closed her eyes for just a few seconds before turning her attention to Mac.

"What do you have planned for tomorrow?" she asked.

"I was hoping you might have something planned."

"I like the way you think," she mused as the car stopped. "Tomorrow then," she said before leaning closer for a kiss. "Night."

"Night."

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

The morning had been sunny and warm and very appealing. Much to the dismay of most people, the weather was taking a drastic turn. Lindsay was strolling along the sidewalk with a bag of groceries. She started pacing faster when she felt the first droplets on her skin. Judging by the thick and dark clouds hovering over the city, the rain would soon get heavier. _'Please, don't rain just yet. I only need two more minutes,'_ Lindsay hoped but with no avail. 'Figures…' The slight breeze in the air felt cooler than it had before which was due to the slightly damp clothes. She was glad that she was able to get inside the apartment building, before it started raining cats and dogs. Looking outside she sighed in relief. Had she taken even a little bit longer, she would be completely soaked.

Heading for the stairway she soon found herself at the door and rang the doorbell. After a small wait Mac opened the door. He was clearly surprised to see her there.

"Hey," Lindsay greeted.

"Uh, hi. What are you…" he began, stepping more to the side so she could come in. He noticed her jacket and hair had been spared from the heavy rainstorm and figured she must've just made it inside before the massive downpour.

"We are going to prepare some lunch," she stated with a smile and walked inside.

Mac closed the door and grabbed the bag from her hands. "Are we now?" he asked no one in particular and peered inside the paper sack to get a glimpse of the contents.

Lindsay hung her coat on a hanger so it could dry properly. Mac had already started toward the kitchen and she quickly followed. He placed the bag on the counter and turned to look at Lindsay with a questioning glance.

"Well, dig in!"

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

So there you have the latest chapter… Tell me what you think and I'll be very, very happy ;)


	15. Of 'I Love Lucy' and Aspirin

OK, so I finally got around to writing this chapter… and here it is,beta read by **dark rolling sea**. Thank you for that!

And look! Already a hundred reviews! Thank you for all the comments, I love you for taking the time to leave them!

And thanks to anyone who reads this! ;)

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

**CHAPTER 15 – Of 'I Love Lucy' and Aspirin**

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Mac began to take various things out of the paper sack while Lindsay walked to stand beside him. She curiously shifted her eyes between the foods and Mac, to see if he liked what she had picked out. This didn't go unnoticed by him.

"So?" Lindsay asked with a hint of impatience.

"Just how much stuff did you get?" Mac chuckled as he kept on unloading more items.

"I wasn't sure what to get so I figured I might as well cover my bases," she said, smiling a little shyly.

After the array of groceries was spread out on the counter the pair started to work on turning them into a meal. The work, if you could call it that, because of all the fun they were having, ran smoothly. They worked well together, as if reflecting the manner they worked in the field or at the lab. Except that now they didn't have to watch out for other people seeing them or think about solving the case. Their system of keeping their two lives fairly separate was working as they had both secretly hoped, but there was always that ever present spark in their eyes when they were together. They were pretty sure others would note it soon – if they hadn't already.

Lindsay was finishing up the salad, chopping the last few pieces of tomato, when she felt Mac come stand behind her, bringing his hands to her waist he kissed her ear.

"So when can we eat?" he asked anxiously, still trailing kisses along Lindsay's neck. She found it incredibly hard to concentrate, but she picked up a piece of carrot and lifted it in front of Mac's face. "If you're hungry, you can eat this," she said light-heartedly. "But I think it'll…" she began but was interjected. She felt her knees going weak and searched for support. A multitude of feelings passed between them, a plethora of which originated from their time spent apart that week. "…only take a minute or two," she finished before they engaged in another kiss.

The said minutes passed and they got around to serving and eating the food. Luckily they had a fairly similar taste and the meal wasn't too spicy or the other way around. Come to think of it, they preferred a lot of the same foods. Just one more thing to add to the list of things they shared. After finishing up, Mac would have been content doing the dishes later on after Lindsay had left. Despite his best efforts to try and convince her, they ended up next to the sink, effectively doing the dishes. Not that he minded though – it was actually enjoyable in good company.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Mac and Lindsay were on the couch, watching reruns of 'I Love Lucy'. Mac had his feet propped up on the coffee table while Lindsay had hers partly pulled up under her. Her head was resting against Mac and his arm was around her. If anyone was to see them right now, they couldn't help but think how sweet a sight it was.

After a few episodes and a bundle of conversations that they had ensued later, it was getting late. Lindsay was showing no signs of leaving though.

"The one where she goes to Buckingham Palace was great… Trying to get the guard to break character," Lindsay stated.

"I always liked the ones where she went to Europe better than the Hollywood ones," Mac said, voicing his opinion.

"Me too," Lindsay smiled, briefly turning her head and looking up. "There was just something about them. I liked the Hollywood ones a lot too but I don't know… Something…" she said trailing off.

They continued to watch the show, enjoying their time together. Lindsay buried her head deeper into Mac, crumpling his shirt in the process. Not that he minded it, quite the opposite in fact. It was nice to have someone beside him after being alone for so long. Creasing was very good indeed, at least in Mac's mind.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Mac awoke in the middle of the night only to find that his other hand was almost completely numb. He could hear the subtle voices emitting from the TV and slowly he opened his eyes. That's when all the pieces fell into place. He was still on his couch and Lindsay was right there with him. More accurately she was curled up beside him, laying on his arm – hence the numbness. A smile spread across his lips and any thoughts he might have harboured about getting up were gone. Mac reached for the remote, careful not to wake Lindsay up. After switching off the TV he reclaimed his place between the back of the couch and Lindsay. At the back of his mind he was glad he had gone with the wider couch a few years ago, even though Lindsay didn't take up a lot of room. Gently but securely he put his arm around her to make sure she wouldn't fall. Suddenly his arm wasn't bothering him at all. Relishing the feeling of her in his arms, he felt happiness wash over him. Feeling as good as Mac did, it didn't take long before sleep overcame him.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Early on Sunday morning Lindsay stirred in her sleep, slightly readjusting her position, causing Mac to wake up from his now shallow sleep. His face was buried in Lindsay's neck in the midst of her sprawled up hair. He breathed in the scent that was her mixed with the faint honey-based smell of her shampoo. A little reluctantly Mac tried to prop himself up so he could get a glimpse of the clock on the wall. He grinned ever so softly when he noticed how tangled up their feet were. As he had suspected it was still incredibly early, even though he felt he had slept for an eternity. The quality of the sleep had certainly been a lot better than in a long, long time. Allowing himself to relax back to the couch, he placed a soft kiss on Lindsay's head. Her breathing was even and it had a very calming effect on him. Or maybe it was the fact that she was actually there. Whichever it was, Mac just knew this was where he felt at home.

About a half an hour later Lindsay stirred once again, this time waking up. Taking in her surroundings she smiled at her conclusion. The smile grew even larger when she registered the warmth of Mac. Then she noted the hand that was softly cradling her. She loved the feeling of waking up like she just had and on top of that her neck wasn't even aching. She could get used to this, very easily.

She could tell that Mac was awake and probably knew she was now as well.

"Hey," she said, turning around.

"Morning," Mac answered just before Lindsay's lips met his. It was a very delightful morning. They continued to just lie there, all cuddled up and in each other's arms, legs tangled up even more than before. How much time passed, they weren't certain. There was no hurry as it was Sunday morning and the pair was truly grateful for it.

"As much as I'm enjoying this," Lindsay said with a muffled voice. "I _really_ need to go to the bathroom…"

Mac smirked a little at the dramatic emphasizing and gave her room to leave. As Lindsay got up she shuddered. The surrounding air felt chilly after getting used to having someone beside her. Mac watched her go and got up himself to get some coffee pouring.

Lindsay looked at her reflection in the mirror and ran her fingers through her hair to try and straighten it out a little. Fairly satisfied with the result, she let her mind start to wonder. A smile crept across her lips and she let herself take a moment and rejoice the memories. Had she been asked a month ago, what she would be doing this weekend, her answer would have been something completely different. But no matter what it would have been, this was much more desirable. A myriad of things had changed in that period of time and it was all for the better.

As she exited the bathroom she glanced at the couch and seeing it was empty, headed to the kitchen. Spotting a fresh cup of coffee waiting for her on the table, she sat down. Mac had retrieved his morning paper and was casually flipping through it. He asked if she wanted a particular section of it, an offer she gladly accepted. Paying rather minimal attention to the paper, they chatted about general and trivial things even though the conversation was arbitrary. No matter how much time they spent together, the presence of the other one was always the pivotal point.

"I think I have to take a little morning stroll and go home," Lindsay said. "I could really use a shower and a change of clothes."

"You sure you don't want a ride?"

"I'm good," Lindsay assured him. "So, do you want to get together later on?"

Mac smirked. "Do you really have to ask me that?" he replied, earning one of her wonderful smiles.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

On Monday morning Mac and Lindsay entered the lab together. A lot of things were turning into routines, coming to work together being one of them. Mac was just opening the door for her when he heard Stella's distinct voice calling out to them.

With a somewhat mischievous grin plastered on her face, she caught up with them. "You sure seem to be arriving at the exact same time a lot these days…"

Mac continued to hold the door open, so that both women could get inside. "Your point being?" he asked her rather sternly.

"I'm sure you know what I'm talking about," she replied, tactfully rushing onward, avoiding any further remarks.

"She knows, doesn't she?" Mac uttered, making it more of a statement than a question.

"Undeniably," Lindsay concurred with a slight grin. "She's one of your closest friends and she has a knack for picking up these things."

"Frankly, I'm surprised she didn't say anything sooner, 'cause I'm sure she has known for an extended period of time," Mac mused as he rounded the corner to his office.

"That she has," Lindsay asserted. "I'll see you later," she said, softly tapping him in the arm.

"Later," Mac said with a tiny but warm smile.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

A few hours later Mac, Lindsay and Flack found themselves at a dorm house. A body of a young man was lying motionless on the floor, next to his bed. He had stab wounds on his upper torso and the smeared blood covered not only his shirt but the carpet under him. Flack was talking with some of the residents, asking about the victim's roommate who was yet to show his face while Mac and Lindsay were looking around the space, about to process the scene. The coroner showed up shortly to take the body away and Flack continued his investigative work.

They were just about finished when the victim's missing roommate, or that is who they assumed him to be, made an appearance. Flack was farther away in the corridor, talking intently to the supervisor of the dorm. The boy ran inside, quickly glancing around for something and moving next to a bookcase. Not finding what he wanted, he made a run for it. Mac was making his way out of the victim's room to see where the suspicious noises were originating from when he spotted the boy. He started running along the corridor, alerting Flack who was at the other end. Mac started chasing him, yelling, "Get him!"

Lindsay had noted the commotion and when looked out into the corridor, she saw the two detectives rounding the corner at the end of the hallway, she debated whether to follow them or not. Deciding it was probably useless for her to leave the scene, she stayed put. She was a little distracted and somewhat worried but was able to resume her task of collecting samples.

As Mac sprinted along the surprisingly empty part of the corridor, he knew he was about to catch up with the boy. Mac grabbed him, just as the boy was about to open the door and slip outside. He fought back fiercely, struggling to free himself of Mac's grip and managed to connect his elbow with Mac's jaw. Despite the collision, Mac had him against the wall right when Flack arrived. Handing him over to Flack, Mac clenched his jaw and started back to the initial crime scene.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Lindsay was packing up when she saw Mac emerge from the hallway. "What happened to you?" Lindsay asked in concern, practically jumping up from her squatted position.

"A little trouble with the…" he began, but Lindsay nodded, signalling she understood. "I'll be just fine."

Mac was rubbing the spot of impact, trying to ease the burning sensation that was vividly present. Lindsay ripped off her latex gloves and went to stand in front of him. She raised her hands and gently inspected how much damage had been done. He didn't wince and she took it as a good sign.

"You'll live," she said. "But you're gonna have to put some ice on that or it'll get twice as painful," she finished with a sympathetic smile.

"I suppose," Mac pondered. "So you finished up?"

"Yeah. Now let's get you some ice and some aspirin."

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Lindsay was rummaging through the cabinet in the break room, which was where they allegedly kept the aspirin. Finally coming across the small medicine bottle she was looking for, she extracted two little pills. Getting a glass of water she handed them to Mac.

"Drink up," she commanded.

"Thanks," said Mac, eagerly swallowing the pain medication so the newly transpiring headache would soon subside. He was about to get up but Lindsay blocked his way, pressing her hand against his chest.

"Take it easy for a minute, will you? We are not in that much of a hurry." Lindsay assured him, her voice stern but tender. Mac wasn't quite sure how she was able to have this kind of affect on him. Whatever she told him, it always seemed so reasonable and filled with good intentions. She pulled a chair and sat down right in front of him. Wordlessly she took another look at the wound, her fingers trailing the bruised area. She grabbed the bag of ice that Mac had already discarded onto the table.

"I think the ice helped quite a bit. Might not get any worse than it already is, which is not half that bad," she said, applying light pressure with the ice. She could feel his gaze washing over her and she smiled subtly. She knew the minor injury wasn't life threatening in any way but she couldn't help but to worry. She cared too much for him not to try and make him feel better, even if it was just a tiny bit.

Mac looked at the amazing woman in front of him. Here she was, cradling his face, pressing an ice bag on his aching jaw. She was incredibly affectionate and caring and he couldn't ask for more. The caring in her eyes was strong and it took all his willpower not to bring her lips to meet his right then and there.

"I think you can say goodbye to the ice now," Lindsay said, much to Mac's delight. "There's more aspirin, if you need more," she continued, momentarily locking her eyes with his. "Take care, will you?"

"I will," he promised. They got up and at the door of the break room, Mac leaned in close and just loud enough for her to hear, whispered, "Thank you."

The two words were bristling with gratitude and even devotion. Lindsay smiled to herself as they parted ways. She enjoyed the fact that she could take care of him – not that she liked him being hurt. But when push came to shove, she wanted to be there and he was letting her. She was also certain that the feeling was mutual. With the warm sensation brewing inside her, she pulled on her lab coat.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

That's it for now but more will follow… I hope you liked it! Feel free to leave a little comment – or a suggestion. :)


	16. Of Suspects and Late Nights

So, it has taken me some time to get this new chapter up, but I assure you I haven't forgotten this story. It's just that I'm back at work again and with all the fuss my writing time has been very limited.

Thank you **dark rolling sea** for the beta:)

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

**CHAPTER 16 – Of Suspects and Late Nights**

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Stella was strolling the hallways of the lab when she spotted Mac in his office. Her lips curved into a smile and she briskly knocked on his door before entering.

"So, I hear you and your vic's roommate aren't the best of friends…"

Mac raised his eyebrows at her seemingly innocent statement. "Do I sense some underlying amusement in your tone?" he asked with a growing smirk.

"No, of course not."

"Of course not…What was I thinking?" he mused semiconsciously, shuffling some papers.

"But in all seriousness, how bad does it hurt?" Stella asked in concern.

"Nothing that pain killers couldn't take away."

"That's good," Stella said. "You take care of yourself now, I gotta head back. Got some analysing to do!" she announced, already half way out the door.

"Keep me posted," Mac said as he too got up. "Right now, I have a potential suspect waiting in the interrogation room."

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

"Now, tell us what you were doing in the dorm room," Mac said sternly as he paced around the table in the interrogation room. His voice was even, not giving much of his emotions away. He kept his gaze on Rick Davidson.

To say the boy sitting in the chair was nervous would be an understatement. He was trying to keep his cool, but he was fiddling and trying to cover up the shaking of his hands. "I… I went in to empty our stash," he said, his voice quivering a little.

"Your stash?" Mac repeated, taking a seat opposite of Davidson.

"Pot," he said quietly. "We're in college and we got this great deal, Dean and I… We had never before even thought about… I had no idea Dean was dead! I thought–"

"Wait a minute!" Mac said, cutting him off. "You're telling me you went in to get your weed and had no clue your roommate had been found dead?" Davidson nodded awkwardly. "It didn't occur to you to ask someone once you saw the whole place was swarming with cops?" Mac said, his tone becoming more gruff and the volume rising. "Do you have any idea how suspicious that sounds? Do you expect me to believe that?"

Davidson could sense the aggravation in Mac. "I wasn't thinking clearly, OK? I thought you were after students with drugs and I… I panicked!" he retorted. "I don't know what happened while I was gone! Dean was like my own brother and I would've done anything to help him!" Davidson blurted out, trying to relinquish himself from the culpability that was presently eating him. "He was my friend!"

"So, you're saying you had absolutely nothing to do with his death?" Mac asked, rising to his feet, leaning on the table. Davidson shook his head.

"No man, nothing."

"Absolutely nothing?" Mac asked once more, bringing his face closer to that of Davidson. His voice was tense but steady.

Davidson shook his head again, this time though, he couldn't manage any words. Mac resumed his standing position and the look on his face changed. He believed the boy.

"I'm sorry about the…" Davidson gestured at Mac's jaw with an apprehensive look. Mac nodded and swiftly walked out the door.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Lindsay was going through the things they had collected from the room of Dean Wilkes. She was growing more frustrated by the minute. She was finding nothing worth noting and glancing at the next item, she hoped something would finally turn up. Her outlook was bleaker than usual but she couldn't quite put her finger on the reason for it. As the hours passed, she was still empty handed when she decided to go and see if the results for the DNA samples she had collected earlier were done.

"I've got good news for you," the lab technician said with a smile.

Lindsay returned the smile while he got the result papers. "So? Tell me," she said in anticipation.

"The sample from the wooden edge of the bed is not consistent with the vic's DNA. Completely foreign, but found a match in the database," he said, handing the papers over to Lindsay.

"Thank you!" she said as she rushed out of the room to find Mac. The search didn't take long and she almost bumped into him after exiting the DNA lab.

"What's with the rush?" he asked.

"I know we lost Davidson as our suspect, but we now have a new one," she explained, showing Mac the DNA report.

"Let's go have a little talk with him, shall we?"

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

When Mac, Lindsay and Flack arrived at the door of Ronnie Haden, the atmosphere was already tense. When he finally opened the door, the sight wasn't pretty. His clothes looked scruffy and he obviously hadn't shaved in a couple of days. Even his eyes looked somehow smoky.

"Ronnie Haden?" Flack queried.

"Yes," he grumbled.

"Detective Flack, NYPD." Ronnie raised his brow after hearing the title, not that he hadn't suspected it by the looks of these people.

"What do you want?" he spat out.

"Oh, found your DNA at a murder scene. Sound familiar?" Flack said, stepping past him.

"Don't know what you're talkin' about," he shrugged casually as Mac and Lindsay made their way inside.

"We have a warrant to search this place," Mac said, flashing it in front of Ronnie's eyes.

"And who are you?" he asked, shifting his eyes from Mac to Lindsay and back again.

"Detective Taylor, Detective Monroe, New York Crime Lab," he retorted. Ronnie returned his gaze to Lindsay who had started to look around. His eyes stayed on her, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Mac. His displease for the man just cranked up a notch.

"Take a look at the kitchen," Mac said to Lindsay who left the room. Ronnie's eyes followed her and Mac bit his lip.

"And you can stop ogling at Detective Monroe," Flack said as he stepped closer to Ronnie. "I don't think she appreciates it."

"You sure about that?" he said with a smug tone.

"From where I'm looking at it, you should be concerned by what she'll find and not by what she thinks of you," Mac stated blatantly. "But I would advise you not to look at her like that again."

Lindsay could hear what they were saying loud and clear. She appreciated the fact that they were standing up for her, but a little part of her was ticked off – she could take care of herself. She didn't want to be the girl that needed to be protected. On the other hand, it was probably a smart move. She saw the look, which could only be interpreted as lustful, in his eyes. She debated the pros and cons, the personal and professional possibilities of Mac sending her to the kitchen and the underlying causes she knew were present. In the end she decided to stick to the more positive alternative and told herself that there was no need to over-analyze the situation. Upon reaching her decision, she grabbed a knife, which upon closer inspection, appeared to have traces of blood along the line where the blade and handle connected. She walked out of the kitchen, with the knife in her hand.

All eyes shifted to her as she came back into view while entering the living area. "Got an explanation for this?" she asked, looking Ronnie straight in the eye with a defying look. Mac and Flack moved their focus from the bloody knife back to Ronnie.

"I doubt you'd believe me," he said, with a smirk as he stepped closer to Lindsay.

"Try me," she said. Flack and Mac came to stand right next to him in case he was going to try something.

"Your attempts to provoke me aren't going to work."

"I am not provoking you. I am asking you a simple question," Lindsay elaborated, her voice as calm as ever.

"I cut myself while making dinner," Ronnie offered innocently.

"And that's why your kitchen is filled with take out boxes?" Ronnie squinted his eyes and his face started showing signs of anger. "And I see no cut," Lindsay continued. Ronnie's body tensed visibly and his breathing increased. Suddenly he was unable to hide his annoyance.

"None of your business you little–" he began to hiss, raising his arm in a rapid move, about to collide with Lindsay.

"Hey!" Mac raised his voice, gripping his arm forcibly. "Don't even think about laying a hand on her…" Anger flashed behind his eyes as he twisted Ronnie's arms behind his back.

"You don't have enough to get me locked up!" Ronnie protested, trying to wiggle out from the firm grip. "Nothing beside that knife you call evidence!"

"But it is evidence, am I right?" Flack asked getting no response. Not that he really expected one. "I'm sure there's something else to add to the growing list of said evidence."

Ronnie let out an audible grunt but nothing more. He had given up on trying to wriggle out and now wore an angry frown.

Mac's eyes scanned the room, still holding Ronnie in place. "How about that shirt over there," Mac said looking at a garment over a chair. "It's exactly the same colour as the fiber we found on the body of Dean Wilkes. And I bet it's a match."

"I think it's time we took you down to the station for some more of this quality talk," Flack said as he roughly grabbed the man in question from Mac. Ronnie tried to tear himself away from his grip with a single swift move, but it didn't work. He felt his hands being bound behind him. Glaring at Mac, he succumbed to the pressure the handcuffs created on his wrists.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

It was Tuesday morning and a new day when Lindsay got the DNA results about the knife back. It was positive and she rushed to take them to Mac. The questioning hadn't exactly been productive the day before, but that didn't matter now. They had multiple samples of his DNA from the crime scene – the only thing missing was the reason. Why had Ronnie killed a seemingly innocent college kid? The causes were non-existent in the eyes of the detectives no matter how much they racked their brain for an answer. To most it seemed that Ronnie was a treacherous and presumptuous man who was not going to let them in on his reasons, if only to exasperate them.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

"I have something to ask you," Lindsay stated as she looked into the cold eyes of Ronnie Haden staring back at her. He made no gesture or sign to acknowledge her question. Lindsay paid no mind to it and continued. "Why did you take the knife back to your apartment, leaving it on display?"

She held her gaze, fighting the urge to look away. Ronnie's mouth curved into a mysterious smile, a very disturbing one. The glint in his smoky eyes was deterring.

"Did you not care whether you got caught or not?"

The smile on his face widened but he kept quiet, his eyes travelling from Lindsay to the ceiling and back again, bending his neck in the process. His muscles were getting tired from all the sitting and he made no attempts to hide it, although the smug attitude remained.

"Are you completely unrepentant?" Lindsay queried, her voice signalling the many feelings brewing inside of her. She was past the point of hiding her feelings.

"Why?" she asked, stressing her point once again. "Why did you kill Dean Wilkes?"

Ronnie leaned forward in his chair and stared Lindsay dead in the eye. "Dinah Wilkes," he said before returning to his earlier position, slumped in an awkward position. Lindsay remembered the name, she was Dean's sister. But why kill her brother?

"What about her?"

"Why should I continue? It's not like there's anything in it for me."

"Humour me," Lindsay said coldly.

Ronnie smirked. He could go with that. The CSI intrigued him; she was desperate to know the reasons behind his actions. He watched the emotions play freely on her face.

"Why are you so anxious to know why?" he asked, curiously waiting for her reply.

"Because an innocent boy lost his life - by your hands."

Ronnie shifted in his seat and suddenly anger took over. "He was far from innocent!" he shouted with full force. Lindsay jumped in her seat because of the surprising fit of annoyance. It also meant that she was getting somewhere.

"_He_ took her away from me!" Ronnie yelled and began to stare at the table, trying to regain his composure. "Convinced her I was no good for her. That I had nothing to offer…"

Lindsay got up but stopped at the doorway. "He was right."

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

"Isn't it time for you to go home?"

Lindsay heard the familiar voice say. She turned in her chair to see Mac leaning in the doorframe. She smiled in response.

"You're one to talk…" she replied with a tired smile.

"Got me there, but honestly, the case is closed, the report can wait and it's getting late," Mac said, tapping at his watch. "Even I'm leaving."

The latter statement caused Lindsay to chuckle quietly. "Was that an offer?"

Mac smiled warmly and held out his hand. "Come on, let's go."

Collecting her jacket she switched off the lights. She felt a warm sensation when a hand came to rest on the small of her back. The gesture had now become more or less a routine, but it hadn't lost any of its power. Lindsay could swear she still felt shivers travel up and down her spine every single time.

Especially after the rough day, she yearned for his closeness and the comfort it provided. She knew he was going to ask her about her feelings regarding the case and the toll it had taken on her. She knew he saw it in her eyes but was grateful that the subject seemed to have been put aside for the night. Right now, she was content with the solace.

Mac could sense the weariness in her. He pulled her to his side with one arm and they walked alongside the hallways up to the front entrance of the lab. Exchanging only a few words, the walk was mostly about being together.

"The car or by foot?" Mac asked when they stepped outside.

"Let's walk," Lindsay said. They were both tired but it still seemed like a good idea. It was also becoming one of the things they did together. Even though it was just walking, they didn't care – it was time spent together. Clasping his hand around hers, Mac smiled when she felt her squeeze in response.

"You know, despite the job sometimes getting to you… Life's pretty good right now," Lindsay reasoned, looking up at Mac with a warm smile.

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Mac said and placed a kiss on her temple.

In many respects, life was better than they could have hoped for.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Here you have it, finally! The next one will be, once again, about their time off-work. At least it is so far. Oh, and someone e-mailed me with a suggestion that I should bring Hannah to New York for a visit. How does that sound?

On your way out, please leave a comment. :)


	17. Of Making New Acquaintances

Hey all!

I know most of you think I have completely forgotten and abandoned this story but I haven't… I recently lost my dear grandmother and well, writing hasn't been my number one concern. Work has been all too hectic as well. But, now I'm back and I intend to start updating again!

I received many requests asking me to bring back Hannah, so you got your wish! This chapter is somewhat of a setup for the next one… but I like it. Hopefully I'm not too rusty and that some of you will still be interested in reading onward.

This chapter isn't beta read like the previous ones so there may be some mistakes.

Now on with the show!

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

**CHAPTER 17 – Of Making New Acquaintances**

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

On Wednesday Lindsay strolled into Mac's office. She saw him pacing back and forth, engrossed in some papers he was reading. For a brief while she wondered how he even had time for anything else besides shifting through the mountain of paper – or Mt. Xerox, as it was sometimes referred to.

She knocked and poked her head inside. "Got a minute?"

"Yeah. What do you need?" Mac asked, looking straight at her with a glint of curiousness in his eyes.

"I was wondering if there was any chance I could get Friday afternoon off." she said rather confidently.

Mac looked at her with a questioning expression. "For what reason?"

"My sister and niece are coming to town and Hannah needs a place to stay while my sister is in some seminar. I kind of promised Hannah she could tag along the next time Anne came this way and uncle's couch isn't a very appealing option," she said with a cringe.

Seeing Lindsay's facial expression, Mac had to smirk. He could se that she was picturing it and trying not to do so at the same time.

"Well, Hawkes is out only until Friday so he'll be here then… And you've got a lot of piled up vacation days for this year, so I see no obstacles."

"Good, thanks," Lindsay said smiling, her gaze travelling along the wall.

"Have they visited you before?" Mac asked abruptly.

"My sister has but not Hannah."

"Got anything planned?"

"Not much, probably go see some sights and try to do stuff she wants to. You know, on her terms for the most part," Lindsay said thoughtfully. "Want to be our guide?"

Mac couldn't help but grin. "You sure you need one?"

"Hey, I'm still learning my way around here and if you don't mind coming with us… I'd like you to come," she explained.

"Are you sure Hannah wouldn't mind?"

Lindsay laughed lightly. "Are you kidding? She's the most social person I know!" Noting the slightly hesitant expression on Mac's face she decided to continue. "Plus, after she saw your name on my cell, you know, when you called me when I was in Bozeman, she's been asking me when she'll get to meet you."

A few seconds passed while Mac considered his alternatives. _'To work and spend the day alone or to go have fun with Lindsay and Hannah?' _Not surprisingly, it didn't take long to decide.

"Alright then, count me in," Mac answered, feeling a rush of excitement.

"Great!" Lindsay retorted with a smile.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"Aunt Linds!" Hannah exclaimed when she saw Lindsay. Hannah threw her backpack to her mother and ran to Lindsay. They were still at the airport where Lindsay had come to greet them.

"Hey sweetie," Lindsay greeted her niece and picked her up to hug her tightly.

"Hey sis, are you going to make me carry all these?" Anne pointed out with a grin.

"Nice to see you too," Lindsay laughed. She let Hannah down and hugged her sister. "Now, give me one of those suitcases and let's get out of here."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

The three arrived at Lindsay's place some time later. Hannah was running and looking around in excitement. Being in New York was a thrill for her and she was definitely enjoying every moment of it – even if most of what she had seen so far had been from inside a car. At he moment she was busy telling the two sisters how some of Lindsay's things had been arranged in her apartment back in Montana.

"—And this photo used to be on that table over there!"

"You're absolutely right," Lindsay concurred, smiling at the little girl's infectious enthusiasm. Then she turned her attention to Anne. "So, when's your cab going to be here?"

"About 20 minutes. Then I'll go meet a few other people who are coming and we'll travel to the hotel together. Tell you the truth, I'm not even sure where it is!" Anne laughed. "Hannah's certainly happy to be here," she continued, watching her daughter rummage through her backpack. "Take your stuff to… Where?" Anne asked, looking at Lindsay in search of an answer.

"My room, only have one," Lindsay replied. "And even that costs enough to almost get me bankrupt."

"That's what you get for leaving us!" Anne quipped smirking. "But this is a nice place you have here… Very cosy."

"Thanks, I try to make the most of it."

After talking for a few more minutes, it was time for Anne to say goodbye. Hannah was reluctant for her to leave but quickly recovered when Lindsay told her they could go get some ice cream later.

"Bye mommy!" she yelled, waving frantically on the doorstep. When Anne was out of her sight, she swiftly turned. "Ice cream time!" she squeeled as Lindsay closed the door.

"Give me a minute and we'll go," Lindsay assured her, trying to keep track of her nieces swiftly changing whereabouts. Five minutes later as they were about to leave, Lindsay glanced inside her purse to make sure her wallet was still in place.

"Oh, sugar feet…" Lindsay uttered when she glanced inside the bag. Hannah looked up at her in confusion. "I forgot to leave some papers for Stella." Hannah quirked up an eyebrow and was clearly waiting for further explanation. "She works with me."

Hannah perked up when the opportunity struck. "Let's go give 'em to her!"

Lindsay eyed her niece for a minute. "OK, but you have to promise not to leave my side and be very nice."

"Aren't I always?" Hannah offered innocently, fluttering her eyelashes in the process.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Lindsay was holding onto Hannah's hand when they walked along the hallways of the lab. The few people she had crossed paths with so far had smiled at the energetic little girl. Hannah was engrossed in taking in the new environment. She seemed enthralled by all the machinery and workers, visible through the glass walls.

"Hi, Sid!" Lindsay yelled when she saw the pathologist coming from the other direction. "Off for the weekend?" she asked.

"Back on Sunday…" he sighed in melancholy. "And who might this young lady be?" he asked.

"I'm Hannah! She's my aunt," she quickly told him, reaching to shake his hand.

"Well, I'm Sid," he replied, smiling at her forward attitude and fearlessness.

"Do you work here too?"

"Why, yes I do." Sid asserted.

"Doing what?" Hannah queried.

"I'm a pathologist. Do you know what that means?" Sid asked, looking at Lindsay in search of a permission to tell her. She just grinned slightly.

"You get to cut people up! Cool!" Hannah exclaimed, causing Sid to first be taken aback and then just laugh out loud.

"I suppose you can look at it like that…" he mused. "In fact your attitude is much preferred to people getting creeped out."

The conversation went on for a while before Lindsay decided to cut in. "Hey, have you seen Stella around?"

"I saw her with Sheldon about 15 minutes ago. They came to see me… I think they decided to continue their labwork."

"OK, we'll check there. Have a good day off!"

"You two have a lovely weekend as well."

They started strolling deeper into the building, Lindsay scanning the labs for Stella and explaining different things to Hannah. After minutes of unsuccessful searching, their luck changed.

"Hey Stella!"

Stella looked up to see Lindsay with a young girl she assumed was her niece. She had after all told her about Hannah coming to visit.

"Hey!"

"Hello, I'm Hannah."

"Nice to meet you," Stella said smiling. "What brings you here?" she asked, glancing at Lindsay.

"That would be this…" Lindsay began, handing Stella the papers. "I was going to drop it of before I went to the airport but then I of course was in a hurry and forgot…" Lindsay clarified.

"Thank you, but these weren't _that_ important."

"I know, but it would've bothered me and Hannah was really excited about coming here," she said, nudging Hannah lightly.

"Yeah! This place is so cool…"

"You think so too?" Stella asked grinning and Hannah nodded in response. "That's great."

"Anything else you'd like to see?" Lindsay asked Hannah. She was about to respond when Lindsay cut her off. "Besides the morgue."

Hannah pretended to sulk and crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's going to get you nowhere and I think it's time we head out."

"Aww, can we at least walk the other way around?" she asked, eyeing the hallway on her right side. Not that she knew where it might lead.

"That we can do," Lindsay asserted. "Bye Stella, see you on Monday!"

"Right back at ya," she answered.

"Bye Stella!" Hannah yelled when they left in different directions.

The pair started walking hand in hand and the earlier rhythm of questions and answers resumed.

"What's that place?" Hannah asked, pointing at a glass office.

"Do you remember how I told you that a friend of mine would show us around tomorrow?" Lindsay queried, getting a firm nod in response. "Well, that's his office."

"Can we go see him?" Hannah asked when she noticed that there was in fact someone inside. Lindsay kneeled down next to her and glanced Mac's way.

"We can say hello but he's very busy so we won't bother him for long, OK?"

"Scout's honor!"

"Since when are you a scout?" Lindsay laughed.

"I could be," Hannah said thoughtfully when they began walking again.

Reaching the door, Lindsay knocked on it lightly.

"Hmmpf?" she heard a muffled answer from Mac before he looked up.

"Weren't you suppose to be out for the day?" he asked, though he wasn't able to hide his inner feeling of joy of seeing her from reflecting on his voice.

"I dropped off some papers for Stella and an eager visitor wanted me to show her around…" she said, glancing to her right only to see Hannah pushing through the space between her side and the door frame.

A smile spread across Mac's lips when he saw the curious girl peek from the door. She quickly looked up at Lindsay before running to Mac's desk.

"I'm Hannah, and you're Mr Taylor, right?" Hannah proclaimed.

"Nice to meet you Hannah but I go by Mac."

"Well, mom and Aunt Linds told me to behave so…"

"I see," Mac replied, trying to hide his amusement.

"So are you busy?" Hannah asked, causing Lindsay to laugh behind her. She decided to ignore it.

"I am a little. Why do you ask?" Mac inquired in puzzlement.

"Because she said we shouldn't bother you for a long time because you're probably busy and… well, you are and now we're gonna leave and I don't want to…" Hannah complained, causing Lindsay to almost roll her eyes at the drama.

"And I'm sticking to what I said. I think it's time we go and leave Mac to do his job."

"Aaw… Fine." Hannah complied, albeit reluctantly. "Will I get my ice cream now?" she asked hopefully.

"That was the agreement, was it not?"

"Then let's go!"

"OK then, bye Mac!" Lindsay said with a smile.

"Bye Mr. Mac!"

"Bye," Mac said in return and with a quiet chuckle turned his attention back to work.

With Hannah practically running to get to the ice cream faster, it didn't take long before the duo was enjoying their rightful desserts.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

That's it for now! I'm eager to hear what you thought of this. :) I have a lot of stuff planned but I'm open for suggestions, so keep them coming!


	18. Of Pancakes and Shattering

Hi all! I have no excuses for not having updated in such a long time… All I can say is I hope someone will return to read this and thank you for all the kind comments :) Right now I have a pretty good idea of what I want to happen in the near future and there will be some drama.

As you may have noticed, I have no longer included that many cases in my fic. I'm not entirely sure if it is the right way to go, but in the beginning it was more important because I needed to describe how Mac and Lindsay found each other. The cases were there to move the story along, not really any other purpose and they were quite petty. It just feels arbitrary now, unless of course the case involves either one of the two or one of their friends. But the filler ones? I'm not sure if I want to go back there again.

The chapter has not been beta read and I was in a hurry to get it uploaded so there'll probably be some mistakes. Sorry for those. Anyways, hope you like this one!

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

**CHAPTER 18 – Of Pancakes and Shattering**

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Lindsay pushed open her front door and let Mac in. In his arms lay Hannah who was sound asleep and judging by her face the dreams were quite pleasant. They had spent the majority of the day going around Manhattan with Mac showing the two girls around. Ironically, in the end they had found their way to Central Park, and the area closest to their apartment complexes. Hannah had made a beeline for the swings and rejected Lindsay's offer to give her a little push and instead asked for Mac to do it. Lindsay had merely raised an eyebrow, not bothering to hide her sudden amusement. After a while Hannah had discovered a new friend and they had gone on playing by themselves. But then again, what else could you expect from her. The kids had had a blast and that had been the whole point of the day – having fun. The day would make for some wonderful memories.

Once Lindsay had closed the door Mac looked at her questioningly. "Follow me," Lindsay said and led him to her bedroom. She gestured towards the bed and pulled the covers so that Mac could place Hannah on the bed. Hannah mumbled something incoherent in her sleep but showed no signs of waking up. Lindsay tucked her in and gave her a little peck on the forehead. Sharing a small smile Mac and Lindsay left the room in silence, looking back once more to make sure everything was alright with Hannah.

Back in the living room Lindsay kicked off her shoes and turned her attention to Mac. Rising to her tiptoes, she softly leaned her lips to his. Her arms found their way around his neck and Mac's arms encircled her waist. Drowning each other in kisses they barely parted for seconds. "Any plans for tomorrow?" Lindsay managed before closing the gap between their mouths.

"Hopefully something–" Mac began but stopped when he once again felt Lindsay's lips on his. "–involving you."

"Deal," Lindsay said and silence took over, not that any words were needed.

"I should go," Mac reluctantly declared.

"I know," Lindsay said, but made no attempt to pull back from him.

"Well, you are sort of preventing it."

"I know."

"What the heck, tomorrow's Sunday anyway…" Mac said, voicing his current thoughts.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Mac could feel his body slowly waking up. He could hear distinct voices not too far away. It didn't take long for him to get his bearings because Lindsay's apartment had become quite familiar to him.

"Aunt Linds! Where's the syrup?" he heard Hannah exclaim. Had he been the last one to wake up? He couldn't remember the last time this had happened. It felt nice to wake up to a house full of life.

"Found it!"

"Is there any milk left?" Mac was pulled back from his thoughts. So far he had only heard Hannah talking but the latter voice belonged to Lindsay.

"Hannah? Have you seen the milk carton?"

"It's next to the sink."

"How did it get there?"

"You put it there."

"Oh. Not much left though. We'll have to buy more today."

Mac smiled to himself. It was comforting to hear the two girls talking. He hadn't even realized how much he missed not living alone.

That's when the sweet smell reached his nose. Pancakes. There were newly made pancakes in the house. Mac made his way to the kitchen doorstep and poked his head inside.

"Aunt Linds! We need another plate!"

"Good morning," Lindsay said and smiled at the almost awake Mac.

"Morning," Mac replied, his eyes wandering to the stack of pancakes on a plate. "How long have you been up?"

"Ever since someone dragged me awake so we could make breakfast…"

"Hey, you promised!" Hannah pointed out in her defence.

"OK, I'll give you that," Lindsay agreed and handed Mac the plate of pancakes. "Enjoy."

"Thanks," Mac replied and sat down at the table.

"You gotta put some syrup on them," Hannah said.

"You're probably right," Mac complied and reached for the bottle. Lindsay sat down on the other side of the table and set down her own portion.

"Alright, time to eat!" Lindsay said and dug in.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

The rest of the Sunday had gone by smoothly. Mac had gone home to clean up and later on the trio had met up once again and gone back to the park once more. In the afternoon Anne had come to pick Hannah up and the sisters had spent some time talking. Both were worried about the condition of their mother. Lindsay didn't discuss it often and had only mentioned it to Mac a few times but it didn't mean that she didn't care or that her mother wasn't in her thoughts. In the end, Lindsay had promised to visit her family in the near future.

Luckily her spirits were lift up when Mac appeared knocking at her door later that evening. They had reservations at a fairly new restaurant in which neither of them had eaten before. He glanced at his watch once more. He was right on time. He could hear a few muffled noises coming from inside and smirked slightly. It wasn't hard to picture Lindsay trying to do a dozen last minute things after hearing the doorbell. After a small wait the door opened. The sight that revealed before Mac was enough to make him question whether he was dreaming.

Her hair was curled more than usual and she wore a simple yet stunning strapped, black dress. Lindsay smiled openly at his reaction and a faint tint of red rose to her cheeks.

"You… You look," Mac stammered as Lindsay stepped outside to lock the door. "You look incredibly beautiful," he finished much more steadily after Lindsay turned to face him. Before she even had the time to think about replying, Mac's lips had already found hers.

"You know, I always knew you looked good in a suit but that was an understatement," she half whispered as they pulled apart.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

After leaving the restaurant, the pair was on their way home. The place had been nice, just a tad disappointing. Nevertheless, they had had a good time, sitting across from each other, feet intertwined in the shadows that filled the space under the table.

"It was a nice place," Lindsay said after they exited the restaurant.

Mac nodded but after a while spoke up. "The portions were kinda small, don't you think?"

"You think so too? I thought it was only me!" she exclaimed. "I mean, it was good but… everything was so tiny!"

"Exactly what I thought," Mac agreed. "I mean the stake was the size of an appetizer…"

"Any chance we could get something to eat?" Lindsay asked, sounding surprisingly subtle and innocent. Mac laughed but had to agree.

"Sure. I'm presuming the usual place is where we'll be going."

"Definitely."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Monday morning came and there was nothing the employees of the crime lab could do about it. Of course, the situation was the opposite for the ones who had been working all through the weekend. It hadn't taken long before everyone was back in work mode and out in the field.

"So, why are we here?" Danny asked when he, Lindsay and Mac walked into an empty warehouse.

"You've heard of the big drug bust that has been under planning?" Mac asked.

"Yeah."

"One of the people involved, a man named Shapiro, disappeared right under the investigators noses. They have a man inside and it seems Mr. Shapiro got killed after trying to back off from the deal. This is where he was last seen alive."

"Uh huh. So we have to find out for sure if he did in fact die here."

"Exactly. You and Lindsay take the front, I'll take the back."

Everything was going fine, until twenty minutes later all hell broke loose. Everything happened so fast and yet Lindsay could have sworn that at least some of it occurred in slow motion.

It had all started with a clang and the sound of footsteps leading to the back of the warehouse. Then Mac had taken off after the fleeing figure. Lindsay remembered Danny looking at her and nodding and then the two of them had followed after Mac. She remembered Mac barking a few orders and shouting at the running person. That's how she remembered the unknown man – a plain figure, running away and hiding. Then she had heard the shot – the loud bang that was still ringing in her ears, the bang that had brought Mac down and left him clenching in pain. She remembered hearing another two shots but everything else was a blur.

She could only see the man she had become to love lying on the ground, stained in red. At that moment she lost all interest in the world around her. She kneeled next to Mac and ran her eyes along his chest, locating the bleeding wound. The colour had drained from his face and he was gasping for air. She heard someone telling her that help was on the way but she had no idea who it was, it wasn't essential. "Mac! You'll be alright just hang on!" she told him. Their eyes met just for a brief second before the pain took over again and Mac grunted. She felt him grasp her arm.

She was more scared than she remembered ever being. He was more scared than he ever thought possible. Why was this happening now? And why to them?

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

So, I'm a little unsure about this chapter but I decided to go with it… What is your judgement? I know there was a lot of smooching and stuff in the first half of the chapter but I decided to give you something back after not updating for so long. Also, this entire chapter is somewhat of a filler for the next one…


	19. Of Recovery and Getting Rooms

Hi guys! Thank you for all the reviews! You're the best!

Just like the recent ones, this chapter has not been beta read either.

I know I left you with a cliffhanger last time but here is what happened afterwards, hope you like it :)

Oh, and I have gotten a few PMs hoping for a baby. I'm not sure about it because there are a few nice stories with Lindsay and Mac and babies. But if you guys really want it, I'll write it in. So, any thoughts on this? Any comment is welcome and appreciated!

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

**CHAPTER 19 – Of Recovery and Getting Rooms**

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

This was all wrong. It was all upside down and facing the wrong way. Everything had been perfect only a few hours ago but now… Lindsay wasn't coping all too well and she knew it. One moment she was sitting lumped in a plastic hospital chair, not able to move, and the next she was pacing the seemingly deserted hallway back and forth. Her insides were doing unwanted somersaults and her head was spinning. The reason was obvious.

She loved Mac.

And he loved her.

It was a fact that they both acknowledged. Now that love was put into the test, a stupid, useless, arbitrary test that made her blood boil. Mac's pain struck face made another appearance in her mind.

'_God, his is all wrong…'_ Lindsay thought as she sat down once again.

She closed her eyes and ran her sweaty palms over her face, noticing the moisture around her eyes. She hadn't even realized that she had been crying.

"Lindsay."

She felt a hand touch her shoulder.

"Stella," she said and her eyes travelled to meet hers.

"Mac will be ok. He's tough," Stella said as she sat down to the chair next to Lindsay's.

"That's what I try to keep telling myself," Lindsay said with a faint, weak smile.

"The others are working on the case, though we still don't quite know why it all took place the way it did."

"And the man who…" Lindsay said trailing off.

"Sid's doing the autopsy."

She knew the shooter had died instantly when the officers had fired at him. Danny and Hawkes had stopped by the hospital right after Mac had been taken into surgery after which they had left. She had thought of going to the lab to help but had decided it might not have been the greatest idea. Her heart would be here in the hospital along with her mind.

The two women sat together for a while before Stella rose up.

"I have to get going, but I'll stop by later, ok?"

"Yeah, and thanks," Lindsay offered.

"Call me if anything comes up."

"I will," Lindsay promised.

After Stella was out of sight, Lindsay found her way to one of the vending machines. She felt her pockets for any loose coins and found a few. After inserting the coins she grabbed her beverage.

Half an hour later she discarded the empty plastic bottle into a trash can just as the doctor that had operated on Mac walked in. She studied his face for any clues as to what she should expect.

"Miss Monroe," he said calmly. "We managed to stabilize Mr Taylor. The bullet was successfully removed and we're hoping for a full recovery," he continued.

Lindsay felt tears of relief run down her cheeks. "Thank you," she cried. "Can I see him?"

"He is in recovery. You can go in for a while if you want to."

Lindsay nodded and headed in the direction the doctor was pointing at.

When she cracked open the door her eyes found Mac immediately. His face was pale and there were all sorts of tubes and wires but otherwise it looked like he was merely sleeping. She made her way to him and pulled up a chair next to his bed. Sitting down, she placed her hand over Mac's.

The doctor's had moved Mac to a private room a little while ago. Lindsay had spent hours by Mac's bed, only having left to call Stella and the rest of the team. They had decided to give Lindsay some privacy and not come by in person until the next day. They had sent plenty of regards though.

Mac stirred slightly and tried to open his eyes. It felt like someone was deliberately prohibiting it. After a few more attempts he found himself trying to focus his gaze. He registered the warm feeling he had come to know so well and he looked the smiling form of Lindsay next to him. He couldn't help but notice how worn she looked with the watery eyes but he could not have been happier to find her there.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," Mac answered gruffly as he tried to find his voice.

"How bad does it feel?" Lindsay asked.

"I'll live. I think…" Mac said, eyeing the bandages on his left shoulder.

"You'd better," Lindsay said and gently hugged him, careful not to hurt him. She placed a soft kiss on his forehead and ran her fingers through his short, ruffled hair. "I don't want any more death scares."

"So I'll be fine?" he asked slightly bemused.

"Yeah," Lindsay retorted. "Now get some rest."

Lindsay squeezed Mac's hand and he returned the gesture as firmly as he could. She watched as he drifted off back into sleep. Her heart felt lighter and she knew it would all be alright after all. It was amazing how much could happen in a mere 24 hours.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Mac was propped up on his hospital bed, going through some papers he had requested. They were documents about the shoot out. It had taken some time but everything had cleared up eventually. There hadn't been much to it, like everyone had suspected. The shooter, a newbie to the drug scene, had gone to the warehouse to find a batch of drugs that had gone awry. Unbeknownst to him the CSIs had shown up and under the pressure he had freaked out, for the lack of a better word. Mac had conflicting feelings about the whole thing. On one hand a young man, who probably wasn't even near bad to the bone, had lost his life. On the other, he had shot him. He probably hadn't tried to kill him but it had been too damn close.

Mac was brought back from his thoughts when Lindsay cleared her throat. She was standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. "Didn't we have some sort of a conversation about working here?"

"Today doesn't count. The doctor's gonna have one more look at my shoulder and then I'm outta here," Mac said in his defence.

Lindsay rolled her eyes and walked up to the window blinds. She opened them in order to let the sunlight in and stared at the world outside. Mac admired her silhouette for a while. He could practically see the wheels turning inside her head. He wondered what she was thinking about and set the papers on the table beside him, cringing as the uncomfortable movement stretched his wound painfully. Returning his gaze to Lindsay he let his mid wander as well. The woman meant everything to him these days and it was time to do something about it.

"I think we should move in together," he declared out of the blue.

Lindsay was stunned for a moment but quickly recovered. "I like the way you think," she said smiling.

Mac grinned. He had been fairly certain she would agree with him but there had been a chance she would have turned him down in a very awkward manner. It did make sense to move in together – they spent most of their free time together, slept over at each other's place more than frequently and it felt like it was time to take the next step.

Lindsay moved to sit on the bed and pressed her lips against those of Mac. Their lips curved into smiles.

"I love you, you know that right?" Mac said.

"I love you too, you know."

"I know."

Just as their lips collided once again, the gang walked in.

"Whoa! Get a room…" Danny exclaimed dramatically and a grin spread across his face.

"I think they have one. Remember a few weeks back when they came to work late?" Stella offered with a snicker.

Lindsay blushed as memories of that particular morning came rushing to her mind.

"Told ya," Stella said, turning to the guys standing behind her. Hawkes chuckled as the red deepened on Lindsay's face.

"Yes well, life can be good sometimes," Mac said seemingly unaffected by Stella's comment. "So what brings you by?"

"What? We can't just visit you without having an agenda?" Stella asked.

"Because we honestly just decided to stop by after our shift," Danny added.

"In that case… There's something Lindsay and I should tell you…"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

There you have it and it didn't take two months this time! It's a little shorter than usually but I like how it turned out. This also means that this story is nearly complete, probably one or two more chapters.

Once again, thank you my lovely readers! I wouldn't be writing this without you!


	20. A New Family

Hey guys! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a long time but I completely lost my muse on this one. Thanks for the feedback on this story as well as my other stories. It's nice to know that so many of you are still reading this thing even though there have been several long gaps in between chapters. I really had fun writing this and still maintain that we need more MeLty fics! That being said, I hope you like this chapter as it is the last one. I have four different versions of it but I liked this one the most. It's quite fluffy, I fear, but I really wanted to have a sweet ending and since so many of you asked me this and went though the trouble of sending pm's – here you go! I truly do hope that you like it.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

**CHAPTER 20 – A New Family**

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"I just have one question Montana," Danny stated as he lifted yet another heavy box of god knows what. "How can one person possibly have accumulated this much stuff into that tiny box you call an apartment?"

"Strategic placement," Lindsay retorted with a smile and pushed some of the boxes further into her car.

"Then how will it work once you cram in this stuff in a place already filled with Mac's?" Danny said quirking an eyebrow.

"We agreed to get rid of some stuff."

"Oh yeah? How did that conversation go?"

Lindsay chuckled, knowing exactly where Danny's mind was at the moment. Danny was convinced Mac would never give up anything because 'you never know when you might need it'.

"It took about fifteen minutes. We talked, we planned and we came to a conclusion."

"You're telling me it was all smooth sailing?"

"No arguments. Not every relationship is as dramatic as yours," Lindsay said smirking.

"Hey! I should be insulted by that…"

"But you're not?"

Lindsay couldn't make out what Danny muttered in response and just laughed at his antics. This was their thing: they bickered like pre-schoolers, always making sure to keep it on the friendly side and somewhat light-hearted.

"What did Danny do this time?" Mac asked as he walked up to the two and shoved another box into the car.

"Why do you always assume it's me?" Danny asked waiting for an answer that never came.

"I'm assuming your question was rhetorical," Mac smirked.

"Yeah, yeah… I'm not staying here to be verbally abused by the two of you. Since the minute you guys hooked up it has only gotten worse," he retorted, shaking his head derisively and turned around. Lindsay's eyes followed Danny's retreating form as he began making his way back inside the building.

"Maybe you are having a bad influence on me…" she pondered out loud.

"As long as I _am_ having an influence on you, I'm happy. Though I'll argue that it is not bad, at least not from where I'm standing."

"You've certainly made me more violent, because were you not injured, I might elbow you straight in the ribs," Lindsay joked and instead gave him a peck on the cheek.

She glanced at the side of the box Mac had just brought down and frowned when she saw it was labelled _'kitchen - plates'_.

"I told you not to carry the heavier ones. Your elbow isn't healed yet," she said sternly with a determined look on her face and proceeded to pick up a box off the ground.

"I'm fine," Mac replied defending. Lindsay lifted the box and met his eyes once more. She cocked her head to the side ever so slightly and quirked an eyebrow. "Well, I'm almost fine…"

"…which means you are not supposed to be overdoing it."

"I can pick up a box and carry it downstairs," Mac retaliated.

"You can pick up a marked 'blankets' or 'towels' or 'fluffy pillows' and haul it down, yes. Just please don't take on too much and overextend yourself. OK?"

Mac knew Lindsay was right and he also knew that if he didn't comply now, she would keep on worrying about him and probably sooner than later take action.

"Alright," he said and kissed the top of her head.

"Thank you."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"OK, so this was the last one," Flack said, placing a worn cardboard box next to Mac's front door.

"So, we're gonna let you get settled in and hopefully you'll find your way out of this mess by Monday," Hawkes added as his gaze travelled over the heaps of unpacked stuff.

"We will," claimed Lindsay. "Thanks for all the help guys."

"No problem. See you on Monday!"

"Yeah, bye!"

Before the door had even slammed shut, Lindsay was already rummaging through her next box. In only half an hour, a considerable number of cardboard and bubble wrap had disappeared, replaced by the wonderful qualities of open space. She didn't hear the door open and Mac come in. The water running from the tap was buzzing in her ears as she cleaned a vase for a bouquet of carnations lying on the table next to her. Mac watched her from the kitchen doorway, studying her movement. She seemed so domesticated and was even humming softly. That's when it him – she would be here every day from this day onward. This was their home now. Mac smiled and continued to look at her. Lindsay reached for the towel and began to dry off the vase. Mac pondered how easily his occasional place to eat and sleep had transformed into a real home. He thought back to when he had first acknowledged his feelings for her, how they had confided in each other: Lindsay about her mother, he about Claire, how the seemingly innocent friendly meals had turned into something else. The first time he had kissed her was one of the clearest memories imprinted into his mind. Mac's smile grew wider and he took a few long strides across the kitchen floor and wrapped his hands around Lindsay.

"I'm so glad you're here, Linds," he whispered, brushing his lips against her ear. She leaned into Mac, pressing her back against his chest. He knew she was smiling and felt contentment.

"So where did you get the flowers?" he asked curiously.

"Mr. Ferguson gave them to me. Said they were for 'congratulations, good luck and so long'," Lindsay replied, smiling fondly at the memory of the older man. "The only person living in that building that I'll actually miss."

"Well, as much I think of him as a man, I prefer you living here," Mac muttered into her hair.

"I like this better too," Lindsay laughed. "Especially after we get the rest of those boxes cleared out…"

Before Lindsay could further develop her battle plan against the messiness Mac drew her mouth to his hungrily, making her completely forget about the outside world.

"The mess isn't exactly the number one thing on my mind right now…" he told her as he pressed her against the counter.

Grabbing the collar or his dress shirt, Lindsay pulled him to their bedroom.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

A couple of weeks after moving in together, Lindsay had gone to visit her folks in Montana. Mac had noticed that something was a little off with her. He couldn't place his finger on it no matter how much he tried, but he suspected she was just worried about her mom. Her cancer had gone into remission some time ago and he knew Lindsay was utterly relieved, but nevertheless scared of it returning.

Sitting in his office chair he continued to entertain new theories. He had asked her a dozen times if everything was ok, but she had merely shrugged him off. It didn't even seem like she was hiding something. Maybe she missed her family. In that case, this trip should do her good.

Of course, there as the possibility that he was putting way too much thought into this and in the process had made a mountain out of a molehill.

He did have a lot time to think now that she was out of town. It was only for six days, but the apartment was awfully quiet without her. Had Mac been able, he would have gone with her, but alas, people seemed to be dropping dead like there was no tomorrow, if you'll pardon the pun. At least she'd be coming home this evening and hopefully completely carefree.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Lindsay was leaning against a wall, idly looking around her surroundings. She still had quite a bit of time before her flight took off and there was not much to do. She had flipped through the day's paper and the most interesting story to be found was in fact an advert for different kinds of cooking gadgets. She thought about buying her mom a corn zipper for her birthday, who was a firm believer in the power of the corn. Some say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but Lindsay still remembered when her mom had said that while it may be true, paired up with a corn cob the doctors would practically run away.

Smiling at the memory, she stared at the boarding gate. It was very, very early in the morning and almost everyone at the terminal was sleepy. Not that was a lot of people. It was rather quiet to tell you the truth. A lot of the seats were vacant, but she didn't feel like sitting. All she wanted to do was to go home to New York. Yes, it was her home now. Lindsay had told her parents and sister about her new living arrangements already when the decision had been made weeks ago. Now they were just very eager to meet the man who had stolen her heart. She had assured them that in time they would, but at the moment things were kind of hectic.

Lindsay studied an older couple sitting on a bench not too far from where she was situated. They seemed so happy, laughing together. If only more people could end up like they had. A few kids were running around playing tag but mostly everyone just sat or stood quietly, staring into the distance. Airports were boring and always held that feeling of anticipation and often nervousness.

When the announcement for her flight came, she picked up her suitcase in a hurry. _'Finally,'_ she thought and made her way to the gate.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Mac walked up to his desk and noticed a new piece of paper lying on top of all the other ones. Picking it up, it came clear to him that it was a shopping list written in Lindsay's handwriting. He wondered how it had gotten there; she wasn't due back in hours.

He frowned and at the same time his door creaked open and Lindsay's smiling face appeared out of nowhere.

"You're back already?" he asked happily, meeting her half-way across the room, kissing her lightly on the lips.

"Took an earlier flight home."

"I'm glad you're back. Everything went fine?"

"Better than fine," Lindsay smiled.

Everything seemed to be back to normal Mac thought. Lindsay was back to her bubbly self.

"Did you get a chance to look at the list?" she enquired eagerly.

"You just got back and we need to get something new already?" he teased her.

"Just read it, will you?"

Mac shrugged and took a seat behind his desk. Lindsay imitated his movements and sat down as well.

"…oranges, carrots, milk…" Mac mumbled as he read through the shopping list. "sugar, a blue rattler, shampoo–" He stopped abruptly. "Wait… Why do we need a blue rattle?" he asked dumbfounded.

Lindsay pulled a pink one out of her pocket and held it up before him. "Because I already bought this one and I don't know which one we'll need," she beamed.

Mac reached for the rattle and taking it in his hand tried to organize the thoughts swirling in his mind. "Are you implying what I think you are?" he asked cautiously, meeting her eyes and holding them steadily.

Lindsay nodded and Mac's tiny grin turned into a full-blown smile. He strode around the table, gathering Lindsay in his arms, kissing her. She erupted into laughter, you know, the happy, joyful kind that only comes about when something too good to be put into words happens.

"When did you find out?" Mac asked, and sat on the edge of his desk with Lindsay next to him.

"Yesterday," she grinned. "I've been feeling a little weird lately, but I didn't make anything of it. I thought it was some sort of a flu bug getting ready to strike. Mom figured it out in no time and I took a test just to make sure. I wanted to tell you in person so I flew home the first chance I got."

She took the rattle and began fiddling with it, clearly deep in thought. She took Mac's hand and gently placed it on top of her abdomen. Lindsay knew there was nothing physical to feel yet, but it wouldn't be long now. She rested her head against Mac's shoulder and he drew her in for a hug. The now ever-present smile grew wider on both of their faces. "We're going to be parents," Mac whispered.

"We're going to have a family."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

**THE END**

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Well, that's it folks! It took almost a year and finally it's finished. I want to thank all of my readers, an especial thank you for those of you who took the time to review (you have no idea how happy your comments made me) and to _dark rolling sea_, for being my beta and always having great tips. I would never had written this if it wasn't for all of you!

Thank you.

P.S. If you're interested in a sequel, drop me a word. Summer's coming and I'll have quite a bit of free-time on my hands then. As always, I'm more than happy to hear your suggestions. I like to write about stuff that you'll really, really want to read about. :)


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